My "real job" is as an IT consultant and I think the business taxes, lack of income tax etc, is pretty good - perhaps it's not with real estate, I don't know, I don't invest in real estate here.

You need to read your agreement carefully and, if you elect to pursue, consult an attorney. 

Another, and to me more credible analyst, John Burns Consulting, which provides housing data to hedge funds and home builders, also concluded that Orange County/LA/Inland Empire are over-valued (don't recall his view of Austin).  

I have consulted with a forman working for Belfor and they said if the mold is in the bathroom on non-porous areas (inside toilet bowl and inside the sink drain), then it is a matter of the tenant cleaning.

Currently I am a business consultant and would like to do flipping on the side.

I am a Real Estate Technology Consultant for Showing Suite in San Diego, California.We talk with a lot of REALTORS and part of our sales pitch is that a price reduction is the quickest way to get a home sold.

It can be staged as a "consulting" fee or whatever you want to call it, if you can prove to both sides that you bring value by bringing two parties together then you can certainly ask for a percentage of the deal (albeit likely a small percentage).

I work for a very large management consulting firm, and policies at this level are not part of the modeling or business plan stages.You won't need anything more than a standard lease modified to address your specific preferences until you start to really scale.So if I were you I would finish up your business plan and then buy a property.

I currently owe $185,000 on my home and have recently consulted with a Realtor to list my home after the snow clears, which should be in 3-4 weeks (late February 2014).

I consulted on a product to assist hedge funds and other large investors to manage their large rental portfolios when they were buying "books by the yard."