Currently down to studs with plumbing going in.

In south Florida, there are a ton of free RE networking events where contractors, agents, mortgage brokers, etc all meet for drinks etc and I have found this to be a great way to find good people in the business.

Hey @Brad Roche - We do a significant amount of renovation loans (both Fannie May & FHA) here in Chicago and prefer the Homestyle loan only because it's less stringent on the borrow about what they have to repair, and they provide the general contractor a material draw at closing which helps the project start on the right foot.I thought the minimum down payment was 5%.

I'm not sure why not - one of the great parts about real estate investing is that you can build a team around you for aspects you aren't as strong at or simply want to delegate to someone/expert and do the others yourself - look up "Core 4" for example - where you can have an agent, lender, manager, contractor all at once for your investments and can theoretically just let them do all the interactive work

This means you essentially have to save buyers 3x(5k-10k) = $15k to $30k through negotiating, finding the best deals, adding value with your property management or contractor contacts, etc.Lawyers use flat fee, hourly, and contingency pay structures primarily. 

I then hired contractors for plumbing, electrical, roofing, and HVAC upgrades.

Especially when the insurance paid for it, contractors don't cut corners.We have probably several water issues every year across the portfolio.

There was no emergency shut off switch before but i asked the hvac contractor to install one and he did ( located inside the apt).

It’s also worth connecting with a property manager and contractor early, even if you don’t need them right away.

I would look at this venture as some type of vocation (I.e. plumbing, electrician, framer).