With community opposition you can operate within the confines of the prevailing laws, and so long as you play by those rules they legally cannot shut you down.

My network is large and any referral I give is someone I trust with my own legal, accounting, inspections, financing, etc. 

Welcome to BP - think you are definitely starting in the right place - house hack duplex to start the real estate investing journey should be a solid bet - don't need a huge amount of capital either if you buy smart

I’m really excited and as newcomers I appreciate your willingness to help, and I will definitely reach out if I have any questions.

For example, he said his brother has looked at homes in the Dallas area that have depreciated in the past 12 months.I will likely have some vacancies, and maybe evictions.I will need to spend money on repairs and maintenance.Other expenses: property tax, HOA (hopefully not), insurance, legal costs, and closing/selling.

Thanks Yes, that response is definitely going to help you do well and learn.

I appreciate the written out warning that was provided and will be checking with legal to see if I can give that out on my way to termination.

It definitely can help add time back into your life and they can be a great source of information on vacancy rates, current market rent rates, etc. 

Is this legal?

There are definitely ways to approach this with smart home tech while minimizing complexity for yourself and guests.