If so, can you recommend any reputable private only companies that have been in the market for at least 15 to 20 years and offer offer low entry barriers for investment? 

John Burns, who is one of the most reputable sources for real estate data has a daily fear and greed index (love the name)Here are a few things that stuck out to me and I agree as we are seeing this ourselves:1.

I had an engineer view the land years ago and have the schematics with the elevations etc. but I need more info with regards to who would build the home - how would I find a reputable builder?

I don't know if you would want to fix in flip in Ferguson because it has a very bad reputation now.

Contractors care about their reputation with the planning department.

That can include roof, water heater, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, mold, rot, warped floor boards, bad foundation, termites, sink holes, fascinating animal occupants, bad reputations (that was a drug house or had a fire or was used for other things that I don't want to mention), and so on.

Yes, it costs a lot to go with REI Nation, and the cash flow is low, but they have an excellent reputation.

Anyone know an inexpensive and reputable structural engineer? 

While it may come at a higher cost, for a project involving plumbing, boiler conversion, and termite treatment, my strong recommendation is to opt for a reputable general contractor.

(we once paid $1800 to a big name plumber in town to replace 6in of plastic drainpipe under a stand alone tub). 3) We need better understanding of the legal structure (LLC) that we should have in place for our property, and also a tax advisor (CPA) to help with understanding deductions.