Sounds very scary from a buyers point of view.

It sounds like your tax professional would have grouped these actvlivities based on the situation you are describing.

“and a few hundred others we've done at Net Energy in 8 states.”sounds like you’re representing or have a financial interest in a company that sells solar or other energy saving devices.  

Rent growth did help with deals continuing to meet the 1% rule though.Similar to your deal that was just shy of a 1% rule when you bought it, it sounds like you have had many major updates to do to each unit as tenants have moved out to get them to market rents.

Consulting with several Architects sound like you just asked some questions and you did not actually hire any of them.

The CL mobile app is helpful for this.Last inquiry from a CL ad was a mom - sounded stressed as dealing with the logistic nightmare of relocating her family across county.

That sounds like an exciting venture!

Montgomery sounds like it’s treating you well.You really nailed the numbers on this one.

That sounds like it's going to be such a fun project.

If you are getting paid based as a percentage of the sale / purchase price, that sounds an awful lot like a commission to me.However, I am not your attorney, so if you want a definitive answer to your question, I would recommend you hire an experience Texas real estate attorney OR get a real estate license (and then you don't have to worry about the issue).