They get paid by the lender so while its a cost, it's not money out of your pocket up front.He won't want to waste time on a low-prob loan and will explain to you. 

To educate potential investors, you have to sit down with them and explain the passive investment process, how it all works, and how you make money as a syndicator.

For the plumber, I would have talked to the plumber and tenant and explained that you only approved X and it was not his (the tenant's) job to approve additional repairs.  

You can explain what they MEANT to say or what they REALLY meant, but you are just trying to justify it to yourself.

As they fill it out, explain to them that this form will be sent to the IRS to verify what was actually field and you will be making your decision based on that.

Most of us can help you, as long as you spend time and explain what you are looking for, and your goals, strategies etc... in details. 

To further explain this, your subject property will have a 2 BD X 1 BA at a 780 Sq ft. you want to compare this with what other apartments (usually within a 1 mile radius depending on the market) are charging for the same characteristics. 

We have a 12-page PDF available explaining it all and we have 5-6 investor/agents finishing up classes now.

I feel like a more credible person explaining the structure would be better than me explaining.  

I appreciate you taking the time to explain in more detail.