So, can anyone give me some valuable advice on whether top companies prefer specific licensing schools or if it even matters.

Do you know of any specific places that I could look at?

Did you have some specific questions you would like answered? 

Looking specifically for a plumber and an electrician. 

It does not mean a good home on the MLS (which many will claim) It is actually a specific type of investment.

These goals should be very simple:1 - You need to pay off all your personal debt2 - You want to have enough passive income to cover all you monthly bills3 - You want to accomplish this by a specific date.4 - You want to have fun doing this.Once you set these numbers, you "reverse engineer" from there, establishing as series of groups (elements of the steps above) called "measurable milestones".  

I have called quite a few and settled on one, The Marston Group, but they don't work with family real estate investors, specifically with military exemptions enough to truly understand our needs.Does anyone have a great recommendation?

I'm not sure on the specifics of the VA loan program but this question might be better directed to other lenders in your area.  

The landlord specifically says:"I want to you to know that I needed to use some of your security deposit money to fix the floors.

This is a very specific local question.