When the seller is there it is useful to have someone (that's usually my job) to walk with the seller.

Agent gets paid for doing their job.

If the only difference between a co-signer and an applicant is a second job or some other insignificant factor, they are NOT co-signer material.

HI Aubrey, Great job posting here as I think there is a lot of great advice you can get.

I can see how there would be confusion on the Architect's part if their job was to draft plans for the city and then the city has approved the plans as is.

I've found that cost segregation companies don't always do a great job and will miss  things even though it is something they specialize in. 

It's important to understand the difference, and I'd recommend sticking with the REIT with depreciation advantages.The Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) includes a 199A deduction and applies to certain income from pass-through entities (including REIT dividends) and allows individuals to take the 20% deduction against REIT dividend distributions that yields an effective tax rate of 29.6% or 37% (80% for upper bracket filers).

My other thought was to find a flip job for faster cash.Is there other ventures or financing ideas I should be considering?

@Rud SevIt's really your CPA's job to walk you through your tax return.

Of course, the buyer could lose their job, but the spread between cash vs. mortgage has to be more than most people think.