@James Sedano If you feel this strongly in favor of having the trust, I would recommend a firm who specializes in estate law or has a practice group who does rather than a generalist.

I hold and practice real estate out of Texas.

A qualified professional appraiser will generate a comprehensive analysis considering factors such as sales comparisons, highest and best use, market conditions, and income generated following Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice guidelines.

The use of a flat fee for higher-value properties is a common practice and can be beneficial in ensuring transparency and predictability in transaction costs.

Living at home is great for saving; if you move out, make sure you get a place where you are allowed to rent a room to a room-mate so that you can continue to save money and also get some practical experience as a "landlord"

And, if you think about it, having electric in only one spot isn't very practical. 

My wife and I are currently starting out real estate journey. 1.5 years ago we bought a dental practice, and last year we purchased our dental office building priced at around $2M with $500k in equity.

Changing whole buildings over isn't always practical (or prudent) and we will be running buildings profitably with galvanized pipes in the walls for the rest of my career. 

What are some of the best practices for finding and approaching private money lenders?

It's admirable that you are defending him as he defends unethical and immoral business practices.