However, I do know that governmental websites can be a great aid.

Talk to Legal Aid, they truly are helpful, and probably deal with this 5 times a day.

I believe that being an independent brokerage is one of the last bastions of free enterprises in business.

What we want to do is invest in a property, aid each other in the management, and split any profits/liabilities equally between the four of us.  

I believe you will learn a few of extra steps that would also aid you if you were to do wholesaling as well such as what the financing process can look like and its normal cost and structures.

Lenders and insurers are good mixing a commercial enterprise with a business entity.  

I asked for the structural repair quote from their broker, and after getting it I forwarded it to a structural engineer contact of mind, who quickly broke down what was happening - that the foundation was definitely in trouble, that the "fix" in the proposal was only a band-aid and wouldn't truly fix the problem for the long-term, and that the true cost of the repair would be double the amount the Seller was offering as a discount.

Look for differentiate brands like Bosch or Kitchen Aid.  

I am going to make the assumption that your intention is to run a legal enterprise and not trying to evade taxes or screw vendors, customers, etc.For most of your questions, the answer is going to be "it depends on what exactly you are going to do."  

Do not accept aid from people in the form of legal document preparation or guidance on where to file such documents.