I am now waiting for this person to set a date to sign the lease and secure a deposit and they are not responding.  

To have an offer accepted, one may need to adjust their Desired Profit; however, it should not be below $20,000, or what one feels is acceptable.

Do I have to have a set end to the construction date?

I had to get my 3rd party manager set up with multifamily flooring, painting, and supply vendors and different maintenance so that turns would be faster, more efficient and affordable.

I'm set to close on my first property on the 20th.  

Here are some good places to start: http://www.biggerpockets.com/meet- find and connect with other BP members that are in your area.http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts - Set up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you.And, of course thehttp://www.biggerpockets.com/forums - ask any question about real estate!

@Bob Collett There is no set amount.

Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: http://www.biggerpockets.com/meet Set up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts

The main way I keep track of what is happening locally is to set up keyword alerts.

Have your electrician set this up prior to the 1st day of demo.