Nice life story and mirrors mine including selling land to Pot growers in northern CA for years as a Broker and running a HML company with my CA RE brokers license. 2009 we saw the same pain from lenders and I experienced the same catastrophic loss of Net worth.

Probably for the better the city recently instituted a CAP on new licenses.

I realized after my post that she left the drivers license # field empty and when asked to supply a photo ID so we can verify spelling of name for the credit check rerun etc.. and get license # from her as well.. he took all day to respond and left message said she found another place and no longer interested..

In most municipalities I've worked, you don't need a licensed plumber to repair a sanitary lead - but the contractor should be bonded and insured.

I know a licensed realtor could get that info, but I'm not a realtor.     

I'm Sharon Hall from Arlington, Virginia , Realtor, also licensed in Maryland and Washington DC.

And it’s done by a licensed professional.

What is the best way to gather reliable comps/CMAs without being licensed? 

Exterior work involved repairing the roof, painting, replacing rotten wood, and installing new light fixtures.Multiple contractors were engaged for the project, with licensed professionals handling electrical, plumbing, and HVAC upgrades.I have compared the comps in this area on Zillow and it’s in the range of 115k to 130k. all else checks out, except that I do not have boots on the ground to verify in-person.  

You can rent out your primary residence or a room in it, but there's an annual license fee and a nightly tax involved.Many investors jumped on the STR bandwagon, expecting the market to stay the same.