After reviewing my goals and my plan of action, I saw what my future holds for me.

In other words, the rental increases we've experienced in the last 24 months are not "speculation" but based on lack of supply and driven by intrastate migration. 

As a novice in this market segment, I have ZERO issues with partnering with a more experienced investor, and giving up a sizable portion of the deal in order to acquire it, and then refinancing them out once I am eligible to do so with the property in our possession.

I would love to speak with experienced real estate developers and home builders to get some guidance on where to start.Thanks!

It does not matter if you are a new, or very experienced.

As far as asking for damages, you would need to review your contract and any attorney modification letters. 

It’s always a good idea to have a lawyer review your lease but with that said $350 sounds a bit too much.

in so cal it would be RARE to have a lawyer involved in this transaction @David Weintraub  we are a title and escrow stateso take out the 1k  and the two addition doc review fee's 750 and 795  those are straight to the lender for his profit side.other than that fee's are fairly standard..

@Aja McClanahan - I think you need to get an experienced contractor/architect and maybe a zoning attorney involved. 

Suggest you review your contracts with a lawyer.