No one will sell you a general liability policy for less than 10 times the insurance a PA contractor needs, so...As you can see, pretty much the whole Pennsylvania GC registration licensing system is all smoke and mirrors designed to give the public a cheap illusion of confidence in an army of bumbling handymen and to keep a second army of insurance industry lobbyists fat and happy.It's a bit different if you want an electrician's license for the city, and plumbing licenses, yeah, they're the real deal.There is absolutely no conflict between being a PA-registered or Pittsburgh-licensed GC and having a real estate license.

At the worst, starting the 1031 is an incredibly cheap way to buy some time to see what makes sense

Basically , you think you have prices pretty close , you found a decent guy to work with  ( Bob)  and he has done a decent job at a cheap price .

I had some capital to spend and didn't want a mortgage, and like you said the homes in this area are mostly dilapidated so you can get them cheap 2.

Actually sounds pretty cheap vs a JV still.

Thank you @Jorge Ruiz, @Michael Henry, @Rebecca Holmes, @Dawn Anastasi...really appreciate all your help and will reach out or go through your the information generously offered.Another topic:My duplex has h/w floor under cheap and stained carpet.

I have been guilty of staying cheap in areas that were cheap...never buy properties in bad area is the best lesson...I had  camera installed and saw thief cut the main power line and steal the cameras in Joliet and police reports and police is waste of time and insurance can be expensive...I have had simplisafe wireless alarm system that is great for identifying who comes in and leaves..because you can assign codes to each worker.if you could have a combo system of simplisafe  or another wireless system with a camera system combo that captures who is going in and out might be your best option...you need alarm system with video capture because we still have people leaving garbage in parking lot that alarms can't prevent...I have not come across anything better that has active alarm system with videos.

Most crimp joints that fail were either the old style cheap 90s or done improperly.

They're basically cheap cabinets that look amazing.

Louis and I have some properties you might interested in. the properties are cheap with nice returns