This will allow you to identify normal costs that occur on both the buy and sales side of the transaction.

Go to conferences, meetups, local events (in the niche you want to focus on) and meet as many people as you can and tell them your goals, vision and plan. 

And an event section for networking opportunities.

What usually happens in these events?

The reason it always seems to happen is the appraiser doesn't want to be in hot water in the event the property is foreclosed and so they tend to appraise the property VERY CLOSE to the asking price - all my properties that have loans have been within 2K of the appraisal price. 

When are you considered "safely behind" a legal entity should a lawsuit occur?

I've never heard of a hard money lender going after anything other than the property in the event of a default and since it's a business endeavor I don't see it affecting your personal credit, but you might want to ask around and get more opinions to ensure that's the case.

In the event I can't find the client's number using skiptracer, I guess my only option would be to contact the lawyer.

Have you checked out the local Events section of the site? 

I am working really hard to make something happen by the end of the year - going to networking events, connecting with investors in the area, reading every BP book, anything I can get my hands on.