The agent who has sold half of the lake and can put a call into any builder in the area and has a phenomenal reputation for dealing fairly and honestly (watch out for the “good ole boy” types who will try to dump it to a builder for cheap and then you find out later that they were part “investor” in the home that was built on that lot and sold for massive profit).  2. 

As far as contractors go, I would say talk to Zach Friedensohn from Nery Construction They have a great reputation within the GaREIA group.

If you dont own the subject property, a reputable contractor is not going to go tour it and give you quotes.

Get a firm pre-approval letter from a quality lender with a good reputation in the community and an agent that knows how to write competitive offers and you'll be fine.

NV real estate sales agent moving to Charleston SC and looking for leads to work with investment and acquisition team, reputable real estate team and company.Currently residing in NV and looking to make a move to Charleston area later this year and obtain SC real estate license.

This shows the seller you have done your part of the process and are providing them with the current rates from reputable and insured companies.

You want to use a reputable contracting company that doesn’t live and die by cash flow.

I live in compton and purchased my home here. yes it does have bad reputation but it all depends on the people you are renting too. every city has it areas of bad tenents even middle class people are dirty don't pay on time and try to get away with things honestly if i could purchase an investment property in compton I would 

Most reputable title agencies are steering away from folks brokering deals without a license. 

As Andrew said, there are tons of free, reputable resources out there to research different markets.