Have you chosen to go with the city inspectors or a private company?  

It is certainly my chosen path.

My credit score is horrible due to some poor decisions I made last year in acquiring close to 10,000 in debt that I have yet to finish paying due to not being able to find a job that I like (I have since chosen to work any job I can my hands on). 

I wouldn't say you're being unfair, but you have a tenant who has paid- the funds have left her acct, but you have chosen to not use the express pay option.

But if the safe harbors are not chosen, its back to the eternal debate on where the line between expense and capitalization is drawn.

My credit score is horrible due to some poor decisions I made last year in acquiring close to 10,000 in debt that I have yet to finish paying due to not being able to find a job that I like (I have since chosen to work any job I can my hands on).

In the last few years I've averaged 3 offers a year, bought them all with cash and closed as promised.All were carefully chosen for the rehab to rent strategy that I'm doing.I absolutely refuse  to waste my, or anyone else valuable time chasing all over creation looking for a short term gain.I'm old, slow and methodical in my pursuit and fully expect to enjoy the fruits of this attitude for a long time.

But, the logic of verifying here is that the contractor had chosen the time.

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. 

Being a passive investor is a great way to learn - see how the deals are underwritten, the markets are chosen, the deal is presented to investors, etc, and it helps get you experience without having to take on all the burden.