I liked the first guy better, but the new guy got the job done.

Monthly New Job market numbers are initially released high and revised down a few months later to camouflage the issue.

There are probably other opportunities out there with far less risk, but if I could get this right it could be replicated quite nicely.

To judge whether it's worth it, try to estimate arv if you fix it up to be a nice property for the market in which it's located.  

Even if the contractor is out of money, borrowing the $3k to finish the job and get top dollar would seem the way to go.Nothing else is wrong with the house?

But I don't want to have a new job like this and to stop there. 

Nevada is a great place to invest because it's landlord friendly, low property taxes, tech job growth, population growth, and no state income tax. 

These rental apps do a great job of producing reports to track your rentals' performance, and output everything you need for tax filing.David OrrTax Modern

I'd also find out if this is temporary (ie one of them lost their job and is looking for a new one) or if it is permanent (ie they are moving in so the parents can help take care of the kids while the parents work).

If you post a job, the first respondents are usually ones using an AI tool to respond to your posting and they are using a scattershot approach hoping to find someone who will take the bait.