You are required to hire a 203K approved contractor, approved 203k consultant, etc. 

John Burn’s real estate consulting firm has a warm place in my heart for all of their smart and timely analysis of the real estate market.

Normally we would only engage our in-house network and sell our properties that way, however it's time to embrace the future and social media to reach a bigger audience. ( I also have a few years of experience consulting Fortune 500 companies on new-media strategies, meaning I do have a bias towards social media as I've seen it transform the way marketeers reach their audience and have direct effect on the bottom line). 

Consult an attorney on all of this.

Hi Alex - I am not an accountant and best to seek consultation from one on the ultimate reporting and documentation of your flip.  

This is worth consulting your accountant or tax attorney for a more in depth answer.I would have you ask anyone proposing a Joint Venture deal with you for a reference of a current investor, an investor that they have completed an investment with and returned capital to, and to review a copy of their Joint Venture paperwork.

Chris, You should consult an individual tax advisor (and I am not providing any advice here, just providing general information that may or may not apply to your situation), but in most cases if she were a member she would have self-employment income from any active income derived from the business.  

in my experience there is almost always a way out of a contract, have you consulted a real estate attorney?

My real estate experience started right at the beginning of the recession when I interned at a PE Real Estate fund and then transitioned to a real estate valuation consulting group at a Big 4 accounting firm.

He might agree to consult in helping us estimate the work that will need to be done prior to purchase so we can determine if it is going to be a good property for us.I plan splitting the rent/proceeds w/my son, plus he'll get the realtor commission  [i figure yes, as I would pay it to someone else if he weren't one - but I wonder if there are other thoughts on that]As for my consultant friend, do I pay him a flat fee [if yes, how much is fair?]