I would look over the property management agreement and see if there's any language that suggests the PM agreed to provide the invoices.

I'd suggest that there is essentially no tax implication for this as compared to your alternatives.

I would suggest partnering with another investor with some deals on their track record and/or some money to contribute to the deal.

We would need to know your current operating expenses (and rent) to be able to provide any suggestions.

This is the reality so no, just because the contract suggests the money is refundable does not mean its not at risk. 

As far as calculating cashflow, I would still suggest considering all the PITI and other overhead expenses.

You can also just tell it what percentages you want to hit.Fourth, you can adjust the prompt so it will tell you directly that it needs more information about certain things, and can suggest more investigation into areas of your flip to increase the confidency score of different parts in it’s rehab analysis.

Here are a few contract suggestions:**Assignment of Contract**: This is crucial for wholesaling.

@Daniel Tanasa house hacking looks to be the common suggestion, thanks Daniel 

There's no real hard and fast way or only 1 way or doing your first 2 points. your subject line suggests you're not looking to go to a large shop like a JLL or a CBRE which honestly I don't blame you those offices are usually pretty bloated.As far as monthly costs, if you are going to individually get a costar or other such license you are probably looking at $500-$1000 a month pretty easy in overhead once you have office dues, mls dues, marketing, etc.