Firstly welcome to Bigger Pockets and thank you for your dedication and service to our country.

If you don't want to spend the money on an attorney there's always the option of small claims court (called Magistrate's Court, here in SC).  

I am in the Denver metro market, one of the hottest in the country right now.2.

Some have partners across the country, some live in the property they are flipping, some try to automate as much as possible leaving more free time, others do all of the work themselves. 

I am currently flipping homes in Orange County and just purchased a home at the court house steps.  

These typically fall between 6-9 depending on who is evaluating and which parts of the country they derived their data from.  

In general, the MLS requires that you be a Realtor (additional fee for membership in addition to being a licensed real estate agent), though there may be one federal court district where this isn't the case.  

The question I have is there is about 17K against the owners in the civil and small claims courts, 15 K to a bank (Discover), 2k to a local business and 300 to a local business. 

The one that promotes itself as "the largest privately owned real estate firm in the country". 

Other parts of the country are less conservative and you'd find people that wouldn't work with you as a realtor if you showed up in a 3 year old E-class because it meant you weren't successful enough.The questions about my vehicles are enough that it will impact my decision on my next personal vehicle.