I think.. that darn NMLS website is the most user unfriendly site I have ever seen..  

If you buy a very large (many bedroom house) the rent by the room also will cashflow.

Agents:I've read/heard that areas are largely represented by specific agents. 

And, that could take a good 6-12 month given the type of Property (large restaurant).

It's relatively cheap for how big it is, but large and can give you a lot of curb appeal.

They have all rental forms for each State in the Manage Properties section of BiggerPockets website.

Excellent explanation!

In theory, you have experienced people buying large value-add properties, bringing them up to snuff and then returning a good portion of the returns back to you in the form of dividends. 

You’re committing to a large lump-sum payment at the end of the term without any leverage to negotiate extensions.

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.