@Alina Trigub - thanks for your advice on staying in corporate.

Since the lease is up for the tenants and now it's month to month, do you recommend that incorporate the fees into an increased rent or itemize it separately? 

Looks like the city might have already re-appraised the garage and incorporated the garage conversion@Bart Hedgcock that's interesting that a drawing will do the trick.

Some won't release their documents in word format, which takes forever for us to handwrite comments, then check their revised version to see if they incorporated all of the comments.

Under 40 but over 30I'd invest the 750k in corporate bonds that would pay 8-10%I'd then take that income and use it purchase buy and hold properties on a yearly basis.I'd take the 250k and purchase 1mm in real estate throughout the A areas of the sw burbs of chicago60-75k income off the bonds will allow me to purchase and additional 500k-750k in real estate a year.I'd also still maintain a f/t career just not stress as much if I don't receive a well deserved promotion .If you crunch the math in 10 years 1mm would turn into a much larger sum. 

Are there companies or systems out there implementing a strategy that would incorporate a contract stipulating something along the lines of, "We will acquire this mutually agreed upon property, buy and renovate it with our investor capital and sell it to you (the customer) for x amount which is inclusive of our profit."?

You don't need a lawyer unless you're incorporated, and the filing fee is a pittance.You could also raise the rent what you want and see if they're functional enough to take you to court, or don't know their rights and leave.

I did all the work myself, but am already itching to hire a professional and incorporate things I just can't do.  

But I will be incorporating the water into some of the landscaping and from a moral standpoint don't want to allow unnecessary pollution on my property. 

I love the porcelain woodplank tiles, so maybe we can find a way to incorporate them somehwere.Any other thoughts are always appreciated.