To get the best bang for you buck, you need to get a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) with your VA loan here in Texas.

Having a will and death certificates is not enough, you need a letter of administration or whatever its called in your state from probate.If you do not have a clear title transfer from the deceased parents to him you do not have title. 

certificate of occupancy, I had to pay for all new exit signs while I was in contract.

In order to self-certify, a QOZ Fund simply completes a form and includes that certification document along with the QOZ Fund's federal income tax return filing for the year. 

For those experienced investors- have your certifications in real estate benefited your career?

@Anna Buffkin I utilize Estoppel certificates and RELY on these (they are a term of our contract) for all occupied rental purchases.

There are often hidden costs--such as: engineer certification of the structure (depending on what the city requires) smoke damage to portions of the unit(s) that are "not affected" additional insurance during the rebuild, sealing the framing that has smoke, etc. 

Management goes through rent rolls and finances of prospective sites, and I do physical inspections, gather certificates, check and estimate vacant and contracts, etc.It's usually an additional service in my experience, but works out well when we start take over new contracts.

Let's say that I want to get a mortgage credit certificate (MCC) on a home that I am going to live in. 

Your Contractor should carry both General Liability Insurance to protect your property against damages, and Worker's Compensation insurance to protect you in the event that a worker is badly injured on your jobsite.Before you start construction ask your Contractor to provide a valid, up-to-date Certificate of Insurance that indicates the coverage that they are carrying for their business.