Hello Matthew,I don't like the 6 months in advance payment scheme either- what happens in 6 months if he hasn't found a job and can't pay?

If its the latter, I would be extremely careful because to me it seems as if its a scheme. 

Four days later we received a letter stating we had not painted the house in the approved color scheme.

That being said, this is a complex legal scheme and would recommend talking with a lawyer for that.Hope that helps.

You want to be very careful with this and you do want to look up the definition of mortgage fraud... which is one way to get the FBI excited and on your tails real quick... its almost like a silent second fraud scheme.

A scam is a dishonest scheme; a fraud. 

Syndication pros and cons-could be a Ponzi scheme-passive-better returns on early investments, but less potential for a home run-less learning for me since I don't get to make the mistakes-recommend by a savvy real estate guy I trust-seem like a better option for our of town purchasing when I get there If I can make 10-20% per year, with an average year on the upper side (my speculative numbers, not historic numbers from them yet), but as a direct investor could lose it all to an upside if 25 or 30% but with a full time job equivalent, I'd rather the passive.

Real estate is not really a get rich quick scheme - it's a steady build over years.

No experiences with LegalZoom, but you want ot make sure your LLC is bulletproof and can accommodate a growing business.In the grand scheme of things, a one-time sunk cost of a few hundred bucks isn't much - Especially when you'll be getting 15%+ on your properties!!

I figured that would be the most important aspect in the grand scheme of things.Thank you @Chris K. for the advice.