It is used as one way to evaluate financial performance. 

You cannot evaluate someone's work when you are not qualified to do so.

You and your mother might consider using an investment advisor to evaluate which offerings are suitable and promising.

This project challenged me to identify the pros and cons of the location and evaluate the best size and budget I was going to need to build a house in my chosen location. 

When you are evaluating properties....1) HVAC - What are some red flags when it comes to HVACs?

. ;-)@Robin Lewis In paradise my PM would also be totally awesome in checking, analyzing and telling me what improvements I could/should do (I'm somewhat of a distant owner), organize the contractors and material, overlook everything, kick some butts here and there, provide progress reports and ultimately pay everyone involved and then invoice me accordingly.

They will work with title and escrow and should be able to do a financial evaluation of the property and your borrower to ensure the deal makes sense for everyone.

I simply didn't have the time when I was selling 75 homes a year.I wish you nothing but success, and by all means keep us up to date on your progress! 

Put it in front a judge and you're going to lose.At this point, you should expect to do four things - 1) Pay someone to draw plans2) Pay someone to tear the deck apart3) Pay someone to build you a new one4) Pay the current contractor for his progress to dateGiven your situation, I would probably not rehire your current contractor.

I also would rather find a market area in the path of progress or growth (quality area), to have a better potential for appreciation.