My husband has an established contracting business where we live so he needs to be here most of the year, but I am not tied to a specific location.

Older established agents might have too much on their plate to deal with someone who just wants to write up offers and lowball. 

I am a new member looking to get started in real estate and to begin establishing a meaningful future!

There is no standard deduction.I said that you could deduct UP TO $5000 of Start Up Expenses in the first year you are considered to be "in business"The proper way to pay for these expenses is to pay them with personal funds and either write yourself a reimbursement check later on when your LLC is established or count the personal expenditures as contributed capital to the LLC

We do offer a "ride it" option, where they can just continue to pay rent, utilities & lawn care while we try to get it re-rented, but there's an element of gambling in there that most people don't want to try; if we get it re-rented immediately, they would come out ahead, but if it takes more than a month they come out behind.

Once your rainy day funds are established, start saving money for a down payment and reserves.It sounds like you already have quite a bit of student loan debt, don't take on more at 8% to fund your down payment.  

It is fairly common to receive the commercial umbrella policy proposal at the last minute—in part because the commercial umbrella policy’s pricing and terms are usually contingent on the terms, conditions, and pricing of the underlying insurance, which must first be established to finalize the umbrella proposal.

What can I do to establish proof of residence before the end of the year when the new tax bill might be passed so that I could be grandfathered in under the current exemption laws?

This feels more like a gamble than an investment. ...but people are winnnniiiiinnnggg lol 

It's a nice thing when it happens, but it's not a methodology upon which you can readily launch your business.If  you have an established track record and are willing to take a small slice of the pie, you could probably attract private money willing to partner with you.