This time around , I want to improve my project management flow by having a more formal contract and estipulations as to the work quality , delivery expectation and payments.

Filing the Property Transfer Affidavit is a (required) formality that may or may not get done that changes the record of the assessor.

What is frustrating are the those with much less experience dealing with law, those who have no or very little formal education in RE and law, with little finance experience much less compliance experience who do set out opinions, especially in areas that may be off the conventional path which the call "creative financing". 

I went to school back in 2009 and became a certified computer repair technician in hopes of using it as a stepping stone to go back to school and formally get the education I didn't get because I didn't see the value of school then.

PTSD dogs used by veterans ARE considered service animals and are generally formally trained.

(D) Every land installment contract shall conform to the formalities required by law for the execution of deeds and mortgages.

You should also run it by your CPA before doing the formal filing.

I disagree with this one:Average people think the road to riches is paved with formal education.

What skills are most important when looking for investment properties vs. a formal residence?

Understand personal finance from a formal education side and you can see how a borrower may be effected and the analysis there is also appropriate.Dive into your state's foreclosure laws, when you see a term, like right of redemption, look it up and study that, Google it, on lawyer sites and see how such are applied in different situations.