What do other investors do to minimize the damage of inflation to their money?

Treasury Dept and IRS have provided minimal guidance and indicate that Opportunity Zone investments are self-certified (for now).

Not trying to minimize, but loan costs are not even close to the highest expense when flipping a property.

If you think the risk is minimal, then you might be able to use a template you find online or use whatever the equivalent is of the California Association of Realtors in Ohio. 

I'm considering the idea to help me minimize mistakes and potentially save money, but I definitely agree with you that I can learn all this myself.

We get a little premium in rent, we also get to fill out or vacancies very quickly and being able to pick the best tenant, reduce turnover since people like living in our units, and minimize maintenance expenses.

I am looking for advice to help negotiate with the builder during an option period that allows me to cancel the contract at a minimal cost.

Chances are you will still have to put your own capital into the deal, but this method, if done properly, can minimize the amount of capital required. 

Now, if you're in a neighborhood where one builder built 1500 homes in 2005 and all of them are 1600sf, you may be ok since everything is the same.... but that's generally not the case.The $/sf model is a lazy one and requires minimal research and unstable results.

They have a duty to investors to maximize recovery and minimize loss.