Brokers acting as paper pushers and contract writers will obviously charge alot less than a broker taking on all responsibilities including marketing. 

What if the person staying at your place signed a contract but their 1st payment check bounced.

Quote from @Tom Hall: My mortgage rate is very high  and I would like to pay some of it off, so that my monthly payments would go down a bit, I dont know if it is financial smart to do it or not?

@Dominic CampeloWith your contracting expertise and business growth, you’re in a fantastic position to enter real estate investing.

Hello everyone, I have recently gone under contract on a property and was able to agree to a private loan with a family member to purchase and renovate.

I had this deal go UC but we just fell out of contract.

Again, not familiar with your market but your numbers seem conservative, which is smart.

Marin is expensive and though we want to live in Marin, I think it’s smart to look at other markets for investing.

You will essentially be buying deals from yourself and you can still assign a contract from one company you own to another. 

Don't lock up a deal just for the sake of having a contract.