Sorry to hear about your troubles, real estate investing should be fun and rewarding.

Your best bet is still going to be demonstrated expertise and longevity.  

You want to absolutely look for experience and expertise (yes those two are different), but their values are what will set them apart from the rest.

Neither party has the benefit of the agent's experience and expertise. 

However, I needed to get an LLC and didn't have time, so I approached my circle of potential private lenders again, but this time, because I was better at showing the numbers and calmly clarifying the value of the property I had on the hook, I not only got the private funds, but I had three different people offer backup funds if needed.You have to (1) Have the deal, (2) show credibility and expertise on the process of buying and rehabbing the deal, and (3) Know how to sell others on the deal. 

The other thing that HD does it they tie your HD Commercial Card to Shell for gas rewards and you can get 1% of all Home Depot Purchases available as free gas. ie, spend $100 at HD and get $.10 per gallon at Shell gas stations. 

Not easy but I think it’s worth putting in the effort for the rewards RE investing can offer.

If that's the case, you're bearing the brunt of the risk, with a lot of the reward to the contractor. 

He is a young guy and I'm weighing the risk/reward of utilizing his help.

For buyers, we write the PSA and state 50% of the commission is due - That would be our buyer rep agreement.This is why I tell people you need to reward someone that actually does the work.