If you are still in the growth phase of your business, then no it does not make much sense to pay it off unless you are past your personal debt tolerance levels.If you have enough properties to meet your goal, then yes consolidating your wins is probably okay.  

Definitely worth it if you can bypass the analysis paralysis phase.  

A lender (or potential purchaser down the road) will likely require environmental info if there is not a recent history recorded (phase I, II).

I am looking for some good books on real estate cycles and how to profit from the different phases.

I'd love to hear more about your project as it moves forward, even if only still in the due diligence phase.  

The majority of my stuff out of state was purchased during my 'working for someone else' phase.

I have not proceeded beyond the research phase as yet.

I haven't pursued any deals yet, but am in the planning, networking, and learning phase of the business.  

Honesty & Integrity (and your Uncle's understanding that you are in a learning phase) should go a long way to making issues palatable when that undoubtedly arise.

In the early phase of discussion with any new client who, say, wants a roof inspection or any other inspection likely to incur work, I tell them in clear and certain terms that I do both inspections and construction, but I will not work on any property I've inspected, or inspect any property on which we've worked.