That better places are needed on a daily basis.

Every step of the way, the bank has been taking it's sweet time, regardless of the number of emails I send (daily).

Ask about what the contract arrangement, how did they do on budget, time, what problems did they encounter and how did they overcome them, how was communication (daily, weekly) and in what format, what was the estimate of work, how did that estimate compare to other estimates.If you want to mitigate risk, then first you have to build a relationship with your contractor on less riskier projects. 

The Greatest Salesmen in the World by og Mandino is a terrific and quick read for anyone. the mantras and daily habits will  if practiced boost anyone’s performance. 

I’ll have a passenger side view of the road and will be able to ask questions, but I don’t think I would want to be a co-pilot.

It seems like the kids swing on cabinets and power slam counter tops daily with the condition I'm seeing.

Have them set you up with a mls listing sent to your email daily .

A lot of investors that I talk to on a daily basis have a real hard time finding a market that will not only get them good cash flow but also a positive investing experience! 

. :)My quick tip for you: create a plan for navigating this website daily/weekly.

I recommend setting up keyword alerts for each area as they are discussed in the forums daily with advertisements posted in the BiggerPockets marketplace hourly.One thing to note when looking at the individual markets, you can make or loose money in any market.