It was alot of hoops to jump through (negotiating with contractors, selecting materials, facilitating contracts between FHA and the contractors, etc) and we relied heavily on our lender to answer questions. 

@D HiggsIt can heavily depend on the area.

I'm just at a loss because initially I was heavily advised against forming an LLC because of the lending concerns, and now I'm being advised to form one to separate the finances.I appreciate any advice and helpful tips.

Even though they are not really supposed to many appraisers lean towards the contract price pretty heavily and try to find a way to justify it.

Quickly I want to break down the 3 different types of "Real Estate Risks" through the lends of the carrier and then dive into the one most heavily focused on in this thread as well as this site. 1 Commercial Property- Lessor's Risk Only (LRO)2 Residential Home Owners 3 Habitational*When talking about investment real estate we talk about LRO's or Habitational (Hab Market).  

@Christian Ames I am based in Dallas-Fort Worth but invest heavily in Central Ark.

TDI heavily regulates title companies: they must charge same fees for title policies so there’s not much to shop around.  

We have a locked metal gate with heavily wooded roadside.

Before entering this heavily competitive space, I am in search of advise from anyone willing to expose what they may have done different starting out, or what processes have proven to be a productive source of business.

I think you need to understand what are the "qualities" that you need and network heavily to find a way to get them in whatever form.