As a habit, I always did a public record search, takes about 10 minutes, to check for mtgs/liens before making an offer.

They were a little scared of the process and I knew that my JV contract protected me.

Don't take anything he says personal.In the end, things worked out fine for us other than the stress and anxiety it caused my wife and the unnecessary lawyer fees to protect ourselves.

I think their primary point is that it can come across as "bait and switch" the end consumer and we're supposed to be protecting consumers.Sorry to be long-winded, but does that help at all?

LLC’s typically protect you, hopefully from accidents and lawsuits, not from the debts the LLC incurs.

It also gives you more credibility in the eyes of the public.

If I created an LLP, I believe I could have the LLC (or S corp) be a member but I’m not sure if I can do that with an LLC, and I am unsure what the best structure may be to balance protection and taxes.

Primarily though, as I mentioned, I'm skeptical of the public/media backlash.

Either publicly share here if it will help others or shoot me a PM. 

Egress doors must open directly into the public way or to a yard or exterior court that is open to the public way (IRC), similar in IBC.