Any tips anyone can share on how to find a reputable and trust-worthy contractor and/or a lawyer who can write up less riskier work contracts?

If that is the case then I would say yeah work with an agent who has a solid reputation either here or from a friend referral.

Lol, every single time I've decided to do the painting myself........about halfway through I am regretting it big time......my body hurts, it's mind-numbingly boring (I think that's why painters have the drinking/druggie reputation... :-)

You want to find local home buyers with overage who wholesale as they are usually more reputable.

This is a practice by some less than reputable companies.

Palm Coast might not have the flashy reputation of Miami, but there’s a lot to love in that area’s growth potential.I’ve been around the real estate block for a few decades, and one thing I’ve seen is that luxury rentals can thrive when they’re more than just “pretty”.. they need staying power.

I definitely want to align myself with a good brokerage and start building good reputation. 

The key difference, though, was he spent months carefully getting to know the local architecs, reputable builders, and even a couple of niche design firms that specialize in modern builds for mid- to high-end buyers.

To keep his reputation he paid those investors back the $100,000 plus 8% which he did not have to.  

I am still living in the past, where your word is your reputation and your reputation is your character.