I do this for a couple reasons; 1. to give me an idea of the finish levels needed to provide an  accurate estimate, 2. yes to see if you know your business.  

If the house has equity, why not try to take out a HELOC and perform some of the repairs while the renter is still there?

Even the best attorneys who are well versed in the new rules cannot accurately answer some of the questions I have asked, hence why I used the quotations in my previous post. 

http://www.marcusmillichap.com/Email/news/2016_05-...Emerging supply and demand trends for residential and commercial real estateHow brick and mortar retail is performing in light of rapid rise in e-commerceWhat investor sentiment says about the future of real estate markets

Performing or non performing?

I don't anticipate a contractor to perform his craft any less effective just because we needed to cut costs.

Receipts for work performed by other professionals should be provided before work is paid.  

Based on the information provided, you were fined for performing plumbing without a license, not that something was wrong with the plumbing.

Rochester performs a reassessment every four years so with just finalizing the 2016 project, the next reassessment will be for the 2020 roll."

A contractor, in the eyes of the law and anyone with contracting experience, is simply someone who enters into a contract to perform a service or supply goods.