If you are looking to rotate venue, I am happy to host the next one in Monterey if there is enough interest. 

I'm a "systems" guy and I love well thought out planning, that's how I function best and how I'm trying to write my business plan.

Your lower rent makes it harder for him to justify his higher rent, especially when you have various websites that function like rentometer to provide target rents to those looking.  

Built in the 1860's, at the time we moved in it had a coal furnace, 60A fuse electrical panel with knob and tube wiring, one bathroom and a functional outhouse, lol.

He was mixing asset valuations with a cash flow or management function, they are unrelated.When you get an answer like that there are two issues, 1. he's lying (another issue) and isn't telling you the real cash flow matter or, 2. he is using the lost value of the home as a justification to avoid his contractual obligations.

I can provide a presence in the market, research complex tax issues, and have an advanced working knowledge in excel and financials (for example, I prepared financials for a friends' small business by converting the company bank statement into excel, then using functions to prepare his balance sheet and income statement). 

Remember credit functions on a per month cycle at best so if a there are a couple of issues this could easily be another year.  

I'd be surprised if a licensed broker would accept payment for "...making sure the language in contracts are (Sic) right..." since this is explicitly not a brokerage function, but would constitute a function considered 'practicing law'.  

Use the search function in the upper right side of the screen:  Search the forums for 'no money down'.

(except I am keeping my fax at RingCentral since it excels in that function.) 7 phone numbers each forwarded to my cell phone with individual vm for after hours.