You can do it online yourself on the State website.But having an LLC registered, while making your LLC official, is not the only step.

I am not sure of the language of the rest of the contract so I do not want to make any assumptions, nor am I a lawyer who is aware of contract law in CA.

After some light research & heavy angst we have come to the conclusion that "house hacking" a multifamily property might be best suited for us to wade through some of the growing pains as well as officially kick off our investment portfolio.

That is the official MLS for Westchester. 

What an awesome feeling it is today, now that the closing is official, but wow was it a bumpy road to the finish line.I have been a part of this community, and have dipped my toes in real estate investing for about 3.5 years now. 

First, don’t pay attention to Credit Karma or virtually any other credit system other than the official FICO scores.

absolutely Account Closed you can file an amended lien but the best advice is go down there and get friendly with the city/county officials and clerks, who knows what else you might learn

Should I just collect the option fee and not charge rent until they officially move in?

I like the idea Joe had of refunding the $75 and letting them cash the check as proof of acceptance....its worth the $75 to have that piece IF they fight the deductionI'm in CA, so I don't have to deal with this issue but if I were in an area where pipe freezing is common, I would have very specific language in my lease for the next time

In your scenario its going to look wonky if you have no 1099int form to your business for interest paid and if your business didnt report that income then you have no note or loan to your business (atleast officially).