@David F.As Russell mentioned co-ops are probably 1/2 the price of a condo and you would also have extensive costs to set up a co-op and typically it’s my understanding the builder funds the first 1-2 years of reserves.

The savings from either will be many times the cost of the lawyer.  

His course will cost you 5k plus the downpayment of say $2500 on a property that likely needs work before it's ready for inspection. 

Just a cost of doing business.

From an operational standpoint you might also want to consider the cost of any extra tax returns that are needed by the entity as well as any extra accounting fees.Good Luck!

We are seeing people move from higher cost of living areas like Raleigh, Durham, chapel hill, and even Greensboro.   

If you don't you are likely costing yourself bookings.

They’re a fraction of the cost and packed with valuable insights.

I wasn’t prepared to lose so much of my savings as carrying cost basically I paid for the tenants to live there for 3 months + my own living expenses in that time.

It likely is out of date as to cost as this info is quite old (my guess is 5 years but it could be longer):- Rent Recovery Service: offers flat fee service starting at $20. 3 letters start at $30.