So I said, "well, if that isn't the path, what is the better approach?"

Hi Ashley, We have found what works well for us, as well as our clients is to ask them during the on boarding process if they have any preferred contractors.  

There are a lot of idiots out there overpaying for deals right now...well...that always seems to be the case.

I have been listening to BiggerPockets for a couple of months now and have been doing my own research over the past several months as well.

It could very well be its all lost but seems like a big jump to conclusions by investors that basically did very high interest rate investing and expected  CD like performance..

hopefully your inspection went well. wish i would have seen your post earlier i would have been happy to help you out with your inspection. but to answer your question, there really isn't anything you need to "ask" your inspector to look for. if he is a good inspector he will know what to look for and what defects are major and should be addressed immediately and which defects are minor.

If he gets the whole commission for the unrepresentated buyer, you might as well get an agent for yourself.

Its like a short-sale, its better than a foreclosure but has downsides as well. 

Well, what a load of crap.

We have no interest in contact data gathering, as that space has been well developed.