For layout aesthetics, I was going to enlarge one bedroom into that office. 

As others have noted, many companies have cheap pay-as-you-go plans that have no continuing cost if you allow your minutes to expire.If you want some phone service while not at home, get a cheap phone and then get a Google Voice number or a free number from RingTo, which will let you make and receive calls free from any wifi hot spot, such as McDonald's or Starbucks.For an extremely cheap home phone, assuming that you have Internet service, get a box from Obihai for about $50 and pay $12 a year for 911 service.

Downside - there is a lot of "B" grade office space avail   (Though as I alluded to earlier, one building owner has completely turned his around over 4 or so years) and is 80-90% leased.7-9 psf is gross lease, full service (ie internet/phone electric, etc is all included) -- I'm sure you could do triple net but per my market research that might turn people off and you'll need to lower your rental rate.  

In a day and age where you can find almost anything you need on the internet, attorneys offer the real world application that a standard form document does not. 

Really good communication is the key and using all the resources on the Internet helps immensely.Learn as much as you can about any market you want to invest in.

The house includes a complete layout change and I was born missing the design gene.  

Lay out a plan of how you can replace your current career with one in real estate investing.

I would check some ads on the internet to see what market rent is for your area and price accordingly based on size, condition, amenities, etc.

Now if you're simply looking for stats regarding crime and schools and whether or not it's an emerging market, I would do basic research which can be found on the internet for the most part.  

I charge $30 and run each adult.Mysmartmove was good too, but I get enough applicants that don't have regular internet access that I would need an alternate method anyways.