Does anyone usually verify that the general contractor they are hiring are licensed and insured?

If it's been sitting around for 2 years, who knows how much of the plumbing and electrical might still be working.

My contractor is from further south and asked if I could find any recommendations on subs in the area.

(vii) If Loan Approval has been obtained, or deemed to have been obtained, as provided above, and Buyer fails to close this Contract, then the Deposit shall be paid to Seller unless failure to close is due to: (1) Seller’s default or inability to satisfy other contingencies of this Contract; (2) Property related conditions of the Loan Approval have not been met (except when such conditions are waived by other provisions of this Contract); or (3) appraisal of the Property obtained by Buyer’s lender is insufficient to meet terms of the Loan Approval, in which event(s) the Buyer shall be refunded the Deposit, thereby releasing Buyer and Seller from all further obligations under thisContract.

if i was living in the us i would for sure be more hands on, its something i did with my the property i currently own where i live (did a complete renovation using an external contractor) but that's not that case.  

as contractors will be raking in the majority of your profits.Work slave job with W-2 documentation for 2 years to gain favor with banks.

Framing, roofs, exterior, plumbing, electric, ect. 

Like everything in life parctice makes perfect and the key is to flip several similar homes a year, this way you get good at what you do, have working relationships with all the contractors you need etc.

I live in Riverside County, California.  I own an older house that's in decent shape but needs some renovations including adding dormer to our attic (or just raise the entire roof possibly depending on expense) to fac...

I worked as an electrical engineer for about a decade.