And secondly: what contingency do you all use for the most protection and flexibility?

I haven't projected that yet, but it would obviously be contingent on being able to find higher-paying private sector work.

There's no financing contingency, but there's an inspection contingency, so I definitely see the possibility of weasel-y behavior.So, do you guys think this is fishy?

I've spoken with them and they are fine with a contingency ensuring that I can get county records to accurately reflect the sqft of the house.So, my question is, how do I go about getting this fixed?

Plaintiff's attorneys work on a contingency basis and would never take a case like that.  

You can write all the rest of the stuff (zoning, loan contingency, etc, etc.) in your offer.

Suppose I'm making a cash offer (no financing contingency) on a property.

I can say that as a seller I would be okay with a contingent of as long as you found a buyer.

If you're planning on moving into the house you can always write the offer contingent on the property being vacant upon close of escrow.  

One of my contingencies is delivering the lot free of encroachments.