Glad to see you want to avoid some of the failures that many have experienced, but I’m sure your construction and RE background will put you in a pretty good position for achieving your investment goals.

You should come by the Denver BP meetup sometime - there are plenty of folks there who are also just getting started, as well as many experienced investors.

However, I can recently say I experienced this same dilemma as I was being recruited by a team myself. 

Once we finally got her the phone after a few days, she claimed that no one challenges appraisals and if we wanted to be difficult - we could take our business elsewhere.Has anyone every experienced a reaction like this before?  

The space isn't very large or complicated though (basically a few boxes < 800 sq ft) so I may be able to save that expense.I realize at the end of the day it's all on me whether I want to put in tons of work to save money (and like you say, still get sub-par work done) or hire experienced professionals to make sure things get done right.

been in real estate for a long time. love BP. great info for newbies and experienced investors alike

Then experienced financial difficulty and sought out a modification around or about 2009.  

Appreciation I have experienced over almost 40 years in three states. 

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good CPA experienced in REI in Westchester, Putnam, or Dutchess county in NY?

The meetup is a great place to pick the brains of experienced folks like Anson.