I bought simplisafe because of this post and a few others on bigger pockets and after a month I figured I'd add my review.TLDR: Not great, may get a refundInstallation (5 stars):Easy to do!

Found an awesome Whirlpool energy star washer for $412+sales tax (after local utility rebate) at Lowes.Called one repair facility - they quoted me $99 for visit plus parts.

@John Morgan what you do is OK, because you're in my favorite state of the Lone Star.

What are some things or practices that I should have in order to be that 5-star contractor?

It appears the best SEO is having closest to 5 star reviews.

If you haven't put in appliances yet, go with energy star.

I think they are very LOCATION dependent.It is, sometimes condo is extremely useful in a particular situation, for example in a 5-star school district where the average house price is close to 2 million, having a condo for only 500k is truly a blessing.  

Those loans are not going to be cheap, and they often won't have the traditional 30-year amortization schedules or terms of the agency debt (Fannie and Freddie).I would not proceed unless I had the capital reserves to handle the unexpected, a good relationship with a lender who knew exactly what I was planning to do, and a rock star contractor who I trusted.

I completly lost the fact that your a MN guy, I have got an all star realtor/ marketing team to set you up with.

BTW, I purchased an Energy Star certified home in NJ circa 2005 and it was absolutely terrible.