In this case the consumer over estimates the risk of an hourly model costing more than a traditional commission model.

Victor,I would avoid that high cost ADU and use that money to invest outside of California.

Curious to know cost of mentorship, 

And yes, he should be giving you his crew, the subs and materials at his cost.

Cost numbers need to be different?

Not sure the cost.

If you could find a duplex property (or a single family house that could be turned into a duplex--check any HOA restrictions first), or a "fixer upper" to live in, that could be a better use of the equity you have in the rental house.If you run the numbers and decide it makes sense to sell the rental house (check with your accountant, figure out closing costs to selling and buying) then you'll possibly have more money to put towards a primary residence.You may want to check the neighborhoods that fall in the school district you want to stay in and look in "under appreciated" areas...maybe not the A class neighborhoods, but ones that have potential of becoming "improved".While I understand your desire to stay in a particular school district, it's not the end of the world to consider other districts if they will allow you to build real estate/family wealth that will put your entire family tree in a better position."

The eviction crew + sheriff cost $760 and additional $300 for trash out hired by the PM. 

IMO the main benefit is anonymity if they are set up properly.If you register your LLC in a state outside of Maryland, then be sure to register it to do business in Maryland.

Often when I work with real estate investors to create asset protection strategies, most tend to prefer a simple asset protection structure (something low-cost that does the job essentially).