I could not afford a lawyer let alone a good one or pay for a bankruptcy.I had no food in the house. 

Some lawyers will help you but the cost of the contracts will get pretty high pretty quick.

Just pulling something from the internet (don't trust everything you see so take this with a grain of salt I'm not a lawyer): "If the building in question isn't officially designated as an SRO or hotel, it is illegal for landlords to rent individual rooms to tenants for a number of reasons, including that it could allow landlords to evade the maximum rent permitted by the Rent Stabilization Law and Code."

You will have lots of expenses with the formation of a new LLC, lawyer fees, costs to start up payroll for this company, workers comp, new insurances, immediate repairs, etc.

Would you entrust your criminal defense to a real estate attorney or a divorce lawyer?

You may not be able to back out of contract to save your escrow deposit and I’m no lawyer, but if you’re doing inspection and it’s totally jacked up and it can potentially clean out your account and portfolio.

We'll then write a promissory note for the amount, maybe attached by mortgage (if not, a lawyer said attaching a judgement lien upon default isn't too hard, provided no chapter 7 bankruptcy filing).Has anyone done this post closing?

Looking to meet individuals generally and build my network, but would also love any advice on this area, contractors, realtors, lawyers, and any other general guidance with just starting in.

However, I would go through a RE Lawyer and see if you can get one from them.

Lawyer's Title in Riverside.