I am curious what measures we could take so that we can guarantee our home won't be taken away, and we can own it free and clear. 

All of these measures are likely to have some impact on property owners.

So I walked the property lines as best I could with a measuring wheel. 

We have already started to take measures against Bradley Lewis. 

Instead, a better measure for which to compare boils down to whether you'd rather be directly involved in real estate investing or would rather invest passively.  

A global DCR ( Debt Coverage ratio) is one of the first things measured of the borrower.

Residential reports are more like form filling rather than report writing, but you can still offer your services of subject/comp research, zoning research, deed research, site visit and photo taking help, measuring buildings, etc.

If I close at 0.5% of raw leads (the low end of the study results), I'd need to spend $24,000 to generate that same $7,000 in commission.To break even, I'd need to close 1.71% of leads, which sounds good if you say it fast, but with measured numbers suggesting 0.5% to 1%, seems unrealistic. 

I used to be a general contractor and measure every linear foot and square foot to put together a detailed scope of work.

This is a cash-saving measure (I have more time than money), but its also a skill-building decision.