Funny story, we originally planned on conducting all of our business in Philadelphia, then realized this was totally impractical.

Hi,I'm looking for a commercial appraiser to conduct an appraisal on unique set of properties.

When the cops show up I will tell them that these people have conducted a home invasion and they are holding me hostage.

I source properties and conduct concrete deal analysis for my investor clients.

And how I conduct my business?

You must conduct 2 analysis with this strategy.  

The only reason to not get licensed is if you're planning on conducting shady business practices and don't want to be held accountable. 

Marketing your property and conducting a thorough screening will help to ensure you have leads and a new responsible tenant.

Nexus in this sense is different than "conducting intrastate business" as outlined in the code section provided by Broad.If you can get a written guarantee from Broad Financial that you do not have exposure to CA Franchise tax, and a pledge from them that they will cover any penalties that may occur if the CA Franchise Tax Board does come after you, then establishing a bank account with an out-of-state bank may work for you. 

The seller could be in breach of contract for conducting business without their realtor knowing.