Retirement, moving to another state, medical issues, need cash for kids college, spouse died, inherited a distressed property, etc.Many people will sell their home for a discount (wholesale price) in order to move on with their life.

Any tips on arranging the contract?

Two sinks in each bathroom is a good tip, easy to plan for a new build.

My 2 parents 5 kids and Grandmother .    

I would avoid electronic key pad locks, because then you need to deal with batteries.Another tip on the door knob we use a commercial grade keyless knobs.

A great place to start is https://www.biggerpockets.com/meet where you can find people in your area to connect with.You'll find some helpful tips at https://www.biggerpockets.com/starthere.For tips on how to get the most out of BiggerPockets, check out: https://www.biggerpockets.com/rei/biggerpockets-com-tutorial/The BiggerPockets Keyword Alert System is an awesome tool: https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2012/12/19/keyword-alert-system/See you on future threads!

To keep a good contractor I would literally tip the guy the $200.

@Kerry Baird had some great tips there!

But I had no clue as to his wealth at the time I just acted like I normally do a very aggressive 28 year old trying to feed my wife and 2 kids. :)

Theres a bunch of little tips and tricks to keep things going smoothly or you can find it fustrating.