Is there a standard pay rate in the industry that people are using to pay an Acquisitions Manager?

If you ever want to meet up let me know.There are some good local meet ups you should attend.To answer your question, yes you can write off passive losses up to 25k if your a W2 employee and depending on income.

Right now all of us are fine since we meet the 51% owner-occupied guidelines for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in regards to warrantable loans. 

There are a ton of resources to help you learn on this site.Attend local REIA meetings and connect with like-minded investors: http://www.biggerpockets.com/meetRead the Beginner’s Guide: http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investingListen to the BP Podcasts: http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/category/podcast/

How do we go about making sure the job that we paid for gets completed, and what they ruined gets fixed to our standards?

I know some (if not all of this) could be answered by the lender but I'm eager for a heads up prior to meeting with the lender(s).

I have already started scoping out some meet-ups and plan on attending as soon as I get settled in. 

@Alexander Reed I'd recommend going to your local REIA networking meetings.

I love meeting new people, so please message me if you want to share your story or know more about me, and if you're local let's grab a coffee!  

I keep hearing that meet ups are a great gateway into meeting great investors.