Buying right and strategic renovations is still vital.

If the house is deemed historic there are preservation requirements in many communities that require you to show the renovation designs to a separate review committee before permits for work will be issued, and this additional layer can add months in some cases, plus additional design and build costs as certain materials and craftsmanship may be required.I also did not see holding costs or resale costs, two elements that nearly all flippers will face.

One method not discussed is getting behind the grout layer and into the drywall layer with a utility knife.

Some people say listsource.com is good, but I'm having trouble identifying all the layers I should be putting on that to get a good motivated seller's list.Do you have suggestions of what companies provide really good motivated seller leads/lists?  

While you can definitely participate in those programs, it is even more vital for you to gauge your finances and not overextend yourself in these purchases.

I've been going back and forth on this for a while.There's another layer to it as well - our potential agent is an in-law. 

If, in the end, the guy simple CAN'T DO without lots of noise to wake him up, you can screw in and finish an additional layer of drywall to his ceiling.

Inexperienced investors tend to (1) get exited about deals without having the experience, knowledge or ability to properly determine if indeed the deal is good, bad or mediocre, (2) take what the seller says as gospel not realizing most sellers will exaggerate, lie and or withhold vital information to get what they want, (3) engage people who will provide opinions for free rather than pay a competent professional, (4) get emotionally caught up in the deal and very defensive when receiving an opinion or information that doesn’t support their dream, and rationalize that more experienced people who point out flaws are “jealous, negative or haters”.Btw, no one can provide any knowledgeable answers to your questions without first analyzing the deal, your ability to come up with a down payment, your credit capacity and banking relations, if you have a track record, your experience with similar property ownership, etc.

Having a strong pool of competent contractors was vital.

I had some of the brick replaced on the exterior layer (there were 3), with few issues.