I do not recommend paying any upfront fees, unless it's with a large bank that typically requires a good faith deposit on larger transactions.

In my case, I had small bedrooms in a small house and took out the small closets to each of the bedrooms because I needed that space to create a larger bathroom, utility room, and create a hall closet that before did not exist, leaving both bedrooms without a traditional "closet".

If it's a larger organization, feel free to inquire about their different staff qualifications.2.

He can probably recommend a civil engineer that works on smaller projects like this (mine are all engineers working on larger developments not residential) and can likely take the lead on the permit process for you. 

One of the larger ex-pat directed real estate investment communities here in Japan targets all-cash buyers. 

Solar has an energy credit and Starlink is deductible as business expense. 

What I recall from Aaron's deals was it wasn't about finding ever larger seller financed deals, but keeping the old seller as essentially a PML....keeping you from constantly looking for new funding when you already have someone that agreed to fund you essentially. 

I only charge markup on maintenance if it's a larger project that requires more coordination, supervision of the work, and inspection after completion.

Feel free to inquire about their staff qualifications if it's a larger organization.2.

Honestly, I think this might be more symptomatic of larger issues in the real estate world in general.