I have it on one of my rentals. it is a good siding material. it lasts for decades and holds paint well.  

Well Familiar with Local Home Depot like back of my palm where they stock different construction material, In addition to above know a Retired ZONE Officer from local town who can identify the requirements of Local ordinance of Towns in order to get the property approved for dwelling.

The prices down here in the south for home prices, labor cost and materials are so much cheaper than many other larger cities in the U.S. 

Can't help you specifically w/ a contractor, but I wanted to give you props for making deals materialize!  

Check out all the materials under "learn".

The majority of our study material is from BP.

I listened to CD material that was done by experienced people about tax liens. 

Don't bother blaming the guru or the course - the gurus aren't qualified educators, and the course material has not been vetted by educators.

Look at finishes, quality of materials, lot sizes, house size, age, etc.

I've been checking out articles, forums, and educational materials for the last month or so.