If you buy in the proper STR areas there is practically zero regulation risk. 

Practice regularly so your muscles are strong and fast.

My area of practice in the legal realm is trust formation for businesses and individuals.

Really competitive pricing, and their electricians are super knowledgeable and do great work.For HVAC, Standard Heating and AC have done quality work on an AC installation, as well as servicing multiple furnaces at my properties.I don't have a good rec on a plumber in the area - all of the outfits in the twin cities I've contacted that have more than 2 employees seem to not want to touch small/medium-sized jobs, and overbid pretty aggressively as a result.  

a) What does your Contract say about how to deal with sub-standard work?

Find Brandon's videos on YouTube for the "four square" method of analyzing homes and practice.

I'm already looking at listings and doing deal analysis (or at least practicing at it).

Practice your pitch!

From here, you can analyze specific properties and run underwriting and projection tools.Keep in mind that running a property with a pool does incur more expenses, heating the pool, emergency maintenance, standard maintenance, higher insurance, etc.

And I'd bet your 'Contractor' is not licensed or is not very good compared to typical standards...But good luck....