Hi folks,i'm looking for recommendations for a floor / counter top place in the tri-state area (it does not need to be the same place for both).

If you offended him with your counter he could be ignoring you, as that is a fair option to a counter.

In Texas AT LEAST you need to have GFCI outlets on all kitchen counter surfaces, outside, garage, bathrooms etc. this home had the outside ones since the pool was relatively new and the outlets were put in when the pool was put in.

This project is essentially a complete gut that will include addition of roughly 700 SQF, new roof, siding, landscaping, privacy fence, hardwood flooring installation, interior re-design into an open concept floor plan, upgraded kitchen with granite counters, new cabinets, stainless steel appliances, etc.

Plus they are getting into extremely detailed questions like what type of piping, electrical, etc.... 

Get rid of all the old wire and pipes with cheap demo labor.

I began scouring foreclosures, REO’s, and craigslist.Eventually, I came across an SFH REO that had been on the market for 15-16 months.It was initially listed at $89,900, and was down to $39,900 by the time I looked at it.It clearly had plumbing and a kitchen for an un-permitted 2nd unit upstairs.The conversion from SFH to duplex would be easy.It basically needed everything.I decided to put an offer in.I felt like I could make the numbers work at $25,000For those still reading, here was the process: My initial offer was $10,000 w/ $500 EMD all cash.They countered at $35,000I went up to $15,000 and they stayed put (oops, over-played it)So, I counter at $17,500—best and final offer.They counter down to $25,000 w/ $2500 EMDI email my lender, and let him know that I am at $25,000 (he knows that was the target was), and told him that I wasn’t done and wanted to bring him down further.He says “Let me get this straight.You got them down from $40,000 to $25,000 which is 37.5% off asking price, and you want to get them down further???”

Which is counter-intuitive, normally Fannie is more generous to owner occupants than she is to investors. 

What makes this particular property special is that it is in DC, which is a very expensive market by the way, and it has high end finish such as custom cabinets, marble counter top & hardwood floors throughout.

In any case, I put an offer in on a condo following the rule of buying 20% below FMV, and it was countered but still not even close to where I needed it to be for it to work.I researched about 25 properties viewed 4 and put an offer on 1 and it didn't work out.