If the City doesn't require a design professional and you complete the work with a fly by night contractor, you as the owner have much more skin in the game if something goes wrong.    

In other words, no skin in the game.

At that point you can access what more needs to be done to get rid of the issues if they go deeper than the "skin".

I really was looking for someone like you to tell me what wouldn't just irritate the crap out of them! 

they are the most irritating, stupid, BS-loaded sites ever devised. 

Not all sellers will accept an offer with so little skin in the game. 

Have your own money for your skin-in-the-game.  

Have thick skin, as they say, and keep moving forward.  

They are different businesses, the similarities are only skin deep.2. 

I don't have enough skin to get into the game.