@Jewel Starling , Seeking a mentor/consultant to start with can be a very good idea. 

If you have doubts, consult an attorney...

And, giving the wrong impression can be very costly to someone, so let's let a tax advisor consult our new folks.

At least in Chicago, there are a ton of 203k specialists, consultants, contractors, inspectors, etc who are all very competent and able.  

At different points in the process, the real estate agent is a salesperson, a buyer’s advocate, an analyst, a business manager, a consultant, a negotiator, and a marketer, just to name a few.

Thanks,PS, I also am a Managing Partner in a health care consulting firm which could be used to make additional investments if needed.

That said:I would strongly, STRONGLY recommend that you read Nevada's Foreclosure Consultant Law!

They set up their own consulting business in the early 2000's and when I joined the firm we were consulting and engineering on many notable projects for Marmol Radziner, Livinghomes, Michelle Kaufmann and others; a number of which wound up on the cover of Dwell Magazine and other publications.

I also recommend that you do not have phone conversations with the contractor, rather, put everything in writing, but ONLY After you consult with your attorney on a response.Clearly the learning lesson here for you and all reading is to NEVER hire a contractor without a written contract outlining all specs of the job, pricing, payment schedule, late penalties, etc.

@Spenser Harding Do you do any consulting, or have any self employment income?