I'll immediately bring in contractors when my offer is being negotiated (very short due diligence). 

@Brandon Holley -- In California, the contract needs to be in the same language as the negotiation (which may be part of your marketing / advertising).

There maybe be a an origination fee of .5% and appraisals to pledge it (try to negotiate lower fees)2.

That should be part of the negotiation in my experience. 

When I talked to that person he said that his forte was in the negotiation of the deal and deals directly with the agents that actually do the REO listings. 

However, if I do move into first place, I'm going to totally rethink how I'll approach negotiations.

@Jordan ValdezWith VA financing, or rather any financing, the buyer will have to pay 100% above the appraisal value or the seller has to negotiate down. 

This will give you time to negotiate for those items and if they balk you can walk without losing earnest money.

I've been fortunate enough to meet some really real estate educated individuals through meetUp and would be very thankful to meet more either like-minded individuals looking to grow or those who would like to share strategies/help guide me in the process.Biggest hope is to understand how to efficiently assess a properties value/cash flow capabilities and negotiate with the best of them.

OK, you're gonna wanna develop a little rapport with your seller, 'cause you're gonna want to negotiate.