But, I had a tax attorney mention to a group I am in, that you may win your case eventually, but the IRS flags anyone who claims to be a full time investor that also has a W2.

I have a contemporaneous mileage log along w/ what was done each trip to go along with this.3) I am aware that for the IRS it is a red flag that I maintained a full time job over this period (a good amount of renovation work was done while working remotely waiting on jobs to finish).

Trust your gut on the red flags. 

I was informed they don't speak to borrows ( not a red flag yet), just thought maybe they didn't speak to me because they didn't want me to influence the  appraisal value of the property.  

I don't want to ask the insurance company first incase it flags something wrong.

Non-Refundable Fees are a red flag to buyers. 

One of the main red flags me and the leasing team look for is this type of behavior (picky or litigious).

Also, I think just calling the big national flags in your area and developing a relationship with them will be the best outcome.

If I went to a GC and said "Hey, take a look at this job and I will pay you" and they took the money, that is the red flag.

if it was mine here is what I would do.1. walk in to planning department in the county and check zoning and any red flags they may have.2. should be simple enough to see if it has public water and sewer then call those agencies to make sure there are no moratoriums.