Reputation will always follow you, alway work as clear as possible with your seller and trust will never be lost.

@Andrew Postell u know any reputable hard money lenders?

The cost seems worth it for the reduced headache.If you're talking about the former, look for a more reputable company.

I relied on the reputation of the company and checked their figures and the neighborhood remotely.

We typically just put in on the plastic. 

Depending on the case, a reputable contractor can likely handle 95% of cases.

I am getting started in this process of syndicating as well but I intend to invest alongside cash providers initially and give them a larger portion of the return in order to create the relationships/reputation needed to build up into bigger deals.

It costs virtually nothing but time to get started, and it is a great way to build a reputation as a knowledge leader in your field.If you do not want to start your own blog, look for real estate sites that welcome contributor articles.

You just need to make sure you are working with a reputable team! 

I am going painted gray but the gray brown wood is proabably a better choice, very pretty and wood seems more upscale than paint, especially over thermofoil which looks plastic.