If the contractors are opposed, you could look into creating a company, have the proper insurances in place (GL, workers comp,etc) hire them as an employee of the company, and negotiate a lower compensation.

You'll want to look into creating an entity of some kind to protect yourselves. 

My goal is to create passive income with Multi-Family/Apartment building rentals.

My goal is to create passive income with Multi-Family/Apartment building rentals using my VA loan in the process.

You literally created something out of nothing. 

Once you know what you are looking for youcan create very smart mailing lists.

What if you bought 1 acre and created 8 lots?

My rentals allow for leverage and create freedom that I can't match in Vegas B&HI'm not definitely going to cash out, but it's enticing.

They are insanely  expensive,  outside of london does present a few opportunities but  recent changes in regulations has created an extremely unfriendly environment for small investors. 

Flipping cheap BRRRR in a quick succession allows people who don't have access to large amounts of capital buy assets, build equity, and create cash flow in a short amount of time.