Realize that anyone who might invest with you will have numerous other places they could invest. 

I'm currently under contract on a smaller, 5-unit commercial office/retail property. 4 of the 5 leases expire in April/May of this year, and one of the contingencies of the sale closing is that 3 of those 4 soon-expiring leases renew for at least one year (I have full negotiating power over those leases).All of those tenants have showed no intention to vacate, and are happy with their current situations.I've seen/read in many places that it is best practice to stagger leases as much as possible in order to avoid the possibility of multiple tenants moving out around the same time, leaving numerous units to be turned over.Would it best for me to try and get 2 of the 4 tenants to renew a two-year lease (which they've done in past) and the other two tenants agree to a one-year or three-year lease (both have been year-to-year in past ).

Pace is a good rental area for the $180K market, rents can be between 1400-1600 for that type of a place (look at school districts when purchasing as that will facilitate a better long term tenant and higher rent in this market).  

Should I find a real estate agent to help facilitate the deal and the closing? 

Or what business type would best facilitate growth to eventually manage a large portfolio and provide comfort for investors and ourselves? 

@Phillip Weickert Phil is great and owns numerous rentals himself.  

This will become more important with numerous LLCs.I know this is a question for a CPA and/or lawyer, but figured that others are likely wondering too.

These are all questions that could lead to numerous different answers.

Feel free to PM if you'd like more info or if you would like a soft introduction I'll be happy to facilitate that. 

In that case, I would think the seller or seller's agent would need to be the one to facilitate access to the house to allow your due diligence (ie: estimating rehab).