I'm using Mint to set budgets and monitor all my spending. 

So from this I've learned that no matter how comfortable I get with a contractor, I need to constantly be bidding out jobs (admittedly I was getting lazy on this part) and constantly on the worksite monitoring quality. 

Places to find that information would be the Census Bureau, The Bureau of labor and Statistics, The Milken Report and the Glenn Mueller Market Cycle Monitor.

I have set up my key word search and have been monitoring new posts.

As long as you monitor your expenses and keep a positive attitude to keep plugging away, that is key. 

In my newbie opinion, at least in the areas that I monitor, in order for a flipper to make good returns now, the MLS retail price of homes will need to continue to appreciate another 15-20% within the next 12 months.

When it's time to sell, doing the rehab/cleanup, etc.. is a pain when you are depending on some third party to do it, and monitor the work.#2  Passive vs. active.  

And then after pulling the trigger, again be it Buffet monitoring the firm to see if he wants to pull out, or one of our BPers taking care of their property, this is also "work."

Will monitor  this thread because I could be in the same boat or I may use mine to buy outright or use it to buy a few.  

I would make sure you button up the sale docs and ensure that you are not only secured on the sale but make sure that your docs give you an opportunity to monitor the continued conditions of the building.