I'm currently researching the market, trying to get an understanding as to where these different areas are located in the cities.Any indication is welcome!

But there's no body of case law indicating that to be a concern.

We keep seeing conflicting views but my personal experience with buyers indicates that the outlook is positive.   

The more cash flow a property has is an indication that the risk that asset has is greater. 

Since you have no contract, there is nothing that says you do not have to pay if you are not satisfied, and your spreadsheet would seem to indicate you owe him the money.Similarly, since you paid him for previous work on the spreadsheet, and the spreadsheet shows you owe him for additional work, your argument is not very strong.

If you're curious - read it here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/51/topics/1221700-rant-...In closing: The dangers of shifting the timing (of your income, expenses, and business transactions.)A purely mathematical exercise may indicate some beneficial timing for this or that.

Ideally, you want to look for markets with a growing economy, diverse industries, and growing population that indicates strong rental demand.

I have seen a tax attorney on YouTube specifically saying you can take a full year of depreciation even if you buy in December but all I see in the IRS publications indicates that you have to prorate based upon the time it was available to rent.is there a rule I am missing?  

Can you show a single building permit from any time, ever, that indicates Goodin Development has ever completed or is working on a permitted project?

I haven't done a 1031 exchange, but may in the near future and the small amount of research I have done on it seems to indicate that some qualified intermediaries only do the intermediary task (hold your money while you close on the new deal) and some try to do other tasks as well, like facilitate you finding the next deal, etc.