I would be interested in doing role plays as that would help to make us sound like professionals as opposed to stumbling novices!

If you need help finding those type of professionals, feel free to email or call me.

the absolute norm when dealing with contractorsmost won't bother to even get you a bid most of the rest will bid and agree to work, then no-showof those, half will show up late or half drunk and do shoddy work the ones that do really good work and are professional are holding out for larger jobsWhen you find a great contractor, just go ahead and kidnap him, Hold himin a basement until Stockholm syndrome sets in and he is happy to work on your projects.

The best way to network and connect with the professionals you just mentioned, is attending local RE meetings!

I'm having this property managed by a professional property manager. 

Things that a professional will need to consider before offering advice:Your other sources of income (personally and within your family/tax entity structure)Your tax goalsYour asset liability goalsYour retirement savings goalsYour tolerance/ability for recordkeeping and rules followingWho you're doing business with, how they are structured and what type of business you are doing with others (Partners? 

The concrete is leaning towards the house and the garage drain that the washer drains into may be putting water under the garage floor (4 inch drop along a crack by drain), so will probably have to borrow for that work anyway.  

However, it doesn't indicate that the professional is well versed in taxation as it relates to Real Estate.I would question the EA how many clients and what percentage of his clients are real estate investors.You may also want to ask him/her for a referral from one of his real estate investing clients.In the chance that he/she does not work out - there are tax professionals here on BP that may be able to help.

On a serious note, actually it doesn't really matter if the cleaning person is a family member or not, I think that any person who provides a professional cleaning service should be compensated for it.

Welcome, @Chris R.SoCal can be a tough nut to crack for newbies.A couple years ago I mailed out lots of letters to homeowners in LA County with no luck.Then I tried rural Kern County and got a deal from a distressed homeowner in California City.The margins were not as large as they would've been in LA or OC, but I was able to rent it out for 2 years before fixing it up and selling it for a decent gain.Also, have you considered an owner-occupied small multifamily for your first deal?