As you said, they show up, answer questions about the local market, provide useful data when needed, and just are a general value add to the forums.I think it's fair for consumers to take what an agent says about the market with a grain of salt, but over time, their reputation for giving good info without the smarm wins.

You need to look for a Securities Attorney (not a real estate attorney)As @John Sayers mentioned, you can get ownership with a GP by doing other things, like bringing the deal, asset management, data research, etc.

Learning as we go since we had the house anyways .With long drives I discovered Bigger Pockets and it has lit a fire under  my tuckus to get more properties and keep the ball rolling Thanks for the advice -More data analysis and research for whatever we 1031 into next will definitely be a priority .Best-C.

Secondly, i have a 1-3 years of property data that Stessa doesn't see or take into consideration, most importantly rental income and expense. what is the best way to upload that previous data to the properties?

My brokerage has been tracking the data from the West Penn MLS for the past 2 years, and I would like to share some of the highlights so that we all have some hard facts to lean on when answering this question.

I like that you’re driven and really want to surround myself with likeminded individuals. 

take your bonus, pay down the home and sell it. not much creativity that can be had. if you try and short sell it the banks could still come back after you and it will crush your credit. chalk it up to a very expensive lesson learned - was it driven by FOMO of feeling like you needed to invest because everyone else was making money?

As a small business owner in a previous life, I found the bookkeeping super daunting, despite my love for numbers, budgets, & just data in general! 

Not saying which transactional methodology is BETTER, just pointing out the difference.  

I don't particularly love the methodology for this cycle, which is reflected in Sam and I are doing things very differently, but this is a matter of opinion.