Kyle Get contractors out there to bid the job...

Examples of pitfalls include purchasing in an undesirable area, not understanding the market values (vs. list prices), not knowing the rental values (current and market), inheriting bad tenants, buying a lemon, going rogue on renting and management with no contacts / systems / no legal understanding of PA and Municipal landlord-tenant laws, not having trusted resources and contractors in place, using out of state lenders or shaky financing, throwing lipstick on a pig when renovating a house and wondering why it's ARV isn't increasing, tenants are renting, etc.

It is what many contractors ballpark their estimates. 

Get your own boots on the ground, meet the people you will rely on aka the cleaners two handmen, meps(mechanical, electrical, plumbing) contractors.

@Jamie Dupont I run a local meet up here in Rochester-might be a good idea to come and learn strategies on how to find better tenants and contractors.

Our contractor stopped working while we took a month-long vacation in Mexico due to lack of communication.

For instance work clothes might be a legitimate business expense of a contractor, but usually it's not.

How or where have you typically found the best contractors?

As I go through the trainwreck of the new Cleveland Rental Registration Process, I wanted to help everyone else out and create a guide.

Unfortunately, there is a good number of illegitimate PMs and contractors in the Cleveland area, BUT quality property management does exist here.