Forcing equity into a 1940's Bungalow in Sacramento California

[Christian Rozo]

Hey everybody, 

My lady and I just moved to Sacramento CA (currently renting) to get boots on the ground to buy our first home within the next year. We're looking at older 2/1 Bungalows (1940's ish) throughout Oak Park, Curtis Park, Tahoe Park, Colonial Heights etc. We would like to force equity into it by adding a bed or bath (preferred bath if one over the other). Seems like we can pick them up for under $450,000, and some considerably cheaper depending on the class of neighborhood. 

I'd appreciate any advice on what we need to know and look for to facilitate this. 

-Referrals for real estate agents with investor mindsets in the area. I don't have a background in construction so I'll need someone with experience in this kind of house hunt to seek out homes that can fit the project.

-What financing options have you sought out for rehab costs if you can't lump them into your home mortgage?

--GC Referrals would be great too. I'm sure I can probably discuss all the construction questions with them. However, some questions at the top of my mind are:

-What are ballpark costs with construction per SF? I know they will depend largely on the layout of the house, the existing plumbing, amongst other things. What style layouts might be the easiest to contend with?

-Are there any issues unique to this type of older home in Sac I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance!