You can do that without any formal income. 

Work with a real estate attorney to draft a formal agreement that outlines responsibilities and protects both parties. 

The contractors who did not give me detailed bids, or even formal bids at all, were quoting me between 15-45k just for labor.

A formal business built on this seems overkill as you’re essentially paying someone for a service that already has standard model.If you and the parnter have distinct business tasks/abilities (i.e. not what you would hire an agent or contractor for), such as off-market lead generation, that’s a different discussion.

Our sincerest condolences to all of those impacted, we have dozens of friends and colleagues that have directly or indirectly lost everything and several have evacuated for reprieve to our communities both north and south of the border. 

While no formal laws say this is restricted, we are getting notices saying the request is not feasible due to XYZ concerns.

It is mid year and this tenants mom (co-signer) wrote the following note;I am writing to formally request the early termination of my child's lease at location in San Jose due to a medical illness that renders him unable to continue attending college.

If it does go to probate, hopefully your brothers and you can amicably go the informal route vs formal (I've worked with families in both when buying properties out of probate and informal is FAR easier).Since there's no debt on the house, maybe you could sell with financing or maybe you could even buy out your brothers with financing -- that way you maintain ownership and just pay them a monthly amount.

By the time a property is formally put up for sale in a town that size the locals have know it was going to be sold and had their chance at it.

I'm imagining something more like add a wall, turn a bedroom into a kitchen-living on one side and a formal dining room into a bedroom on the other side, maybe add a half bath in each unit.