To start, you should understand that a large part of commercial real estate is dealing with the officials and decision makers of the city or county because they are the ones who decide zoning and use for every piece of property within the city's or county's boundaries.
A real estate agent finds sellers for buyers and buyers for the sellers of real estate.
If having to pay for an entire roof, including the sheathing, will mean that you can't pay your own mortgage that month, you're too close to the bone.
If you have a good agent, this will take far less time but you need to make sure you look at any properties you are considering to ensure they are right for you.