I will, of course interview and do my own due diligence with these companies, but I just wanted to get an idea from everyone that could possibly give me a heads up on who's great or who to stay away from.

Land Entitlement is one of the riskiest Real Estate investments for several reasons:1) High Upfront Costs with No Guarantees: We spend tens of thousands of dollars on due diligence to ensure the property is suitable for development.

Don't take their unofficial advice as gospel, so do appropriate due diligence prior to making changes to the property. 

@Elizabeth Ross - make sure you are familiar with South Bend - houses for under 100k in South Bend can typically be in pretty rough neighborhoods, so be sure to do your due diligence. 

If the number are close[100k or less], do preemptive due diligence [water, sewer, stormwater, planning and zoning] if the property is considered for a new build development situation.

I need to do some more diligence as it relates to point #4 and #5 

We found ourselves wasting an obscene amount of time doing our due diligence where we doubt that the vast majority of bidders actually understood the costs involved in the rehabs.

Mike, My recommendation would be during due diligence for a potential purchase, ask for past 12 months of all utility bills, property taxes, and any other municipal requirements like rental permits, occupancy inspections etc. 

Get a real estate attorney with some experience in the matter and have them use a PSA and back you up legally, perhaps even help with some due diligence.

My advice is to do your diligence and learn the craft as best you can.