My thought is while that sounds great on paper, if we end up not finishing on budget and the contractor now has 20k of our budget (hypothetical number) in his pocket, and we end up bankrupting and closing the door on this venture, there would likely be bad blood about him having profited well while our business folds up.I see a strategy where his expertise is leveraged to oversee that bids are in the right ball park and work is being done properly as well as compliance type issues (permits and such) are all in order.

Following my graduation, I accepted a job at a healthcare consulting and valuation firm in Philadelphia, whereby I performed various analyses within the healthcare sector.  

So they have technical expertise also.  

What I mean is building a team of people who can bring their expertise to the table.  

Thanks in advance for your time and expertise!

That said, there is a pretty wide range when it comes to quality of service, expertise on the advisory side (relative to IRS rules compliance) and pricing.I'm sure other BP members will chime in.  

- Being from Vegas, I do both but mainly because I can partner with other folks in my network who have different expertise.  

Is there a sector of the market that is currently underserved?

I don't have expertise but have previously found great articles online which discuss adding a 2nd layer of drywall to mitigate sound from above apts. (3) Likely the easiest/cheapest thing to do: place in your lease that living and dining room requires carpet coverage (rug) over 75% of the area to "protect" the wood floors Hope this helps!

Ask yourself what a partner can bring to the table: cash, expertise, management, rehab skills, etc.