Tenants, lenders, contractors, lawyers, taxes and more all need to be learned.

I don't think that the average person beats active fund managers, but average people would/should hire a professional to advise them on investing, just like you would for any other important transaction or decision (doctor, lawyer, CPA, etc).

Thomas S. ok, i will check with my lawyer.

It looks like the elite town board is stacked against me and it is 5 male lawyers, no business people, no landlords, no other professionals.

I'm not aware of anything like that here in MA but I'm not a lawyer either.

You need a Texas lawyer or maybe the opinion of a title insurance company as to whether they would insure title.In one state I got into a similar type of deal.

Very few people even know enough about real estate to attempt to pull something and that includes realtors, bankers and lawyers.

Have you considered reaching out to anyone you know (doctor, lawyer, dentist) that may have a retirement nest egg that may be willing to invest in you as a private lender?  

Do I need a lawyer?  

Contracts: I've heard some well respected investors say that they and their lawyer write up the contract with all the clauses and exacting specifications, modify it as needed for different properties/jobs, and have all the contractors bid on the same exact contract and ultimately have the winner sign the contract they write.