Hi @Jay Lam, we always require all owners to sign the property management agreement, so I'd recommend going back to you PM and enabling you both to sign.Best of luck!

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processesWe recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

We recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

We would like to do it all legally with plans approved by the town.Any recommendations for an architect / company that can assist us with this project? 

If not, I would recommend purchasing as it is worth it compared to a large investment you are about to make...

Which syndication software is recommended to keep everything streamlined?

Your strategy is possible but I would still recommend speaking with a CPA to ensure you understand depreciation recapture and intricacies of a 1031

If I was your brother getting my REI portfolio started, is there any advice, strategies, links, literature, articles, or people to follow that you would recommend for someone extremely leery of financial risk?

Beth, I strongly recommend Aleka DeGraaf from Acorn-Oak.

Can you recommend a good one?