I'm good at most mechanical and carpentry stuff, that's pretty straightforward measure, cut, assemble.

Hello to all, new member checking in here.I’m a mechanical engineer by trade, working primarily in the industrial automation and robotics industries.I’ve been on the fence reading/listening/dreaming for way too long learning about various investment opportunities and am ready to take a leap into real estate investing.I’m most intetested in multi-family and possibly note investing with some IRA funds to start.I’m looking to start building a network in this industry and creating a life with more freedom for myself.Thanks for reading.

You should also consult with your attorney on ways to minimize the risk of a Mechanics Lein going against the property (happens often if the General Contractor does not pay the subcontractors).

Open to negotiation.While we would give serious consideration to the above arrangement, my question for today is whether or not there are other risk management techniques that we could use to protect ourselves from the mechanical risks and keep our interest in the property whole.Thanks,Chris

Does not include mechanical or electrical permits :-) Can you believe its even getting expensive in the "sticks." 

You may have state laws regarding the pool, we do.Typically, you need to make sure you have:Permitted fence with a lockable gate, the lock/release mechanism needs to be 5-6’ high so children can’t open it, same with exterior doors on the house leading to the pool area.  

There’s other contingencies you can use too, financing, feasibility, environmental, neighborhood review...Have your DD start the 1st business day after they provide you with all the documents, P&L sure, but also you’d want title docs, details on mechanicals like age, repair history and warranty status, insurance claim history for the last 5 years, every scrap of detail on any pending claims, zoning use confirmation from relevant govt entity, copies of all docs they have received from any govt authority related to the property for the past 5 years... there you’d be looking for code violations, notices from EPA or fire marshal, etc.  

Is there a mechanism to 1031 the commercial building I own into the construction of a new duplex on land I own?

Or is it better to just rely on a good handyman or repair person on staff/retainer/rolodex.As @Joe Splitrock said, I have found that the adage of "they don't make them like they used to" seems to apply to most mechanical and electrical devices these days.

I'm looking for a property with an existing auto mechanic or body shop on it ready to go, through foreclosure or Mls.