There are tons of commercial real estate investors on here that are dealing with millions of dollars work of real estate and don't have any type of real estate license, they just build relationships with brokers, follow up and pull the trigger when they get a good deal put in front of them.

The only reason I'm considering doing this deal (with the assumption I can get it under contract for the price mentioned above) is that I might be able to pull most if not all my equity out of this deal and find another deal to do.  

Keep in mind that there are minimum requirements that you may need to physically occupy the unit (6 months to 1 yr) but if you chose a property below market value, you have the option of doing a cash out refi and pulling money out of the property for your next investment. 

Usually, your GC will pull any necessary permits but you can do it yourself if you want to save some money on your project.

I have a property I'm my crosshairs, but before I pull the trigger I'd like to get some community feedback on the best entity to purchase under for tax benefit and personal protection.

Option two sounds great because I can potentially pull 20-40k equity out of my home depending on what it gets appraised at but then the numbers won’t make sense when rent it.

A list broker can help with recommendations and pull several lists together.

Also wondering if anyone has suggestions on portfolio lenders with good rates for someone like myself to talk to if I pull out some equity via a refinance to invest elsewhere.

I would love to have another investor or several so I can pull the trigger on these properties faster and not lose out on them.

For an escape clause, it will be very difficult to find a tenant willing to sign something where they plan on moving but are fine with having it pulled out from under them last minute.