I firmly believe that this is not a post from a real student. 

On the flip side if the funds were elsewhere I could sell off whatever they were in and still maintain my primary and likely cover the debt for many years as worse case.With that said, also not a firm believer in high LTV to allow for swings on value...

As an aside, when I ended the contract with that firm, they mysteriously had maintenance fees that equaled the amount of money in my holding account (nearly $1500!). 

I am sure plenty have tried to DIY it  Indeed plenty have tried to DIY it..... and then accounting firms like us are left to clean up the mess! 

Know of a good real estate friendly law firm that can help with advising how to set up an investing company?

You need to get a second opinion on your tax return.And, I highly suggest hiring an REI-savvy bookkeeping firm to keep your bookkeeping records up-to-date and accurate.

Your pay-day lender has a license, so will a pawn broker, car dealer, or a venture capital firm. 

3.5% down and you can purchase something with up to 4 units Flipping is risky if you don't have a firm understanding of the costs involved.

It became very apparent in Q4 2023 as the market cap rates continued to deteriorate even more as pricing has not found a firm ground.

And before you do anything else...get a General Contr in there to give you a final and firm price to fix EVERYTHING.