Should I shoot towards a specialty certification in a certain field?  

He says there are some certifications out there but none of them are required.

You have to have a resale certificate from the state.  

And @Ned Carey is correct in Florida, most counties sell their certificates at auction for the amount of taxes, interest earned and fees. 

i recently took up a certification program to be a hard money broker offer commercial finance solutions with them. can't find them anywhere on Google or BBB, just advisors on social media

You have a tax lien certificate.

He also emailed me a list of unpublicized fees that I would be responsible for near closing time on top of the 25% down payment such as: Loan Fees Application Fee: $350.00 (due at time of application) Processing: $498.00 Underwriting: $195.00 Appraisal: $350.00 Flood Certification: $11.50 Credit Report: $27.50 Tax Service: $57.00 Rehab Fee: $500.00 Total Fees: $1,989 That would have been a $2,000 headache if I would have found out about these fees on the day of closing....

If you use a licensed and insured contractor, they don't have to be "203k" certified, as FHA doesn't have a contractor certification.

On this one I knew I would have to obtain/record the death certificate of the spouse, a certificate of continuous marriage affidavit and an affidavit of no estate tax due from the seller, due to the results of a title search/commitment done Before the purchase.

Any loan that fits into the FNMA or FHLMC guidelines is driven by an automated underwriting certificate.