I also helped another one of my investor clients buy something from him at the same time. 

I do that for my clients as long as we have a working relationship. 

I am still trying to get my first transaction/client, and ultimately my goal is build leverage from my initial deals to generate more leads and more business to make a full transition into running my own RE practice.

Well, attorneys sometimes act like prostitutes.....they assume whatever the client wants.

How much sense does it make, besides the paternalism argument, that I could invest my client's money in an offering, but not my own?

She still holds parties for her past clients (I need to go to the next one), has a newsletter she sends me, sends Christmas cards, etc.

The paralegal at my title company said that this has been a problem for a client in the past.

I've read about your strong opinions regarding Realtors (I share of those opinions, but I also know that most of my clients will tell you that a great Broker is worth more than anything else in a Real Estate transaction or longterm investment strategy), so I won't suggest that you build a relationship with a Broker who will happily have someone on their team build spreadsheets with the hundreds of names you want.

I have a prospective client in Sunnyside who hired his handywoman to convert an existing garage to a loft-style studio with a composting toilet.

I am a Panama City based CCIM and have completed many 1031 exchanges personally and with clients.