Id keep looking if it was not an approved short sale ( even an approved short sale takes a very very long time and theres no guarantee that you will even close on the house after months of waiting). q1)There are plenty of non traditional lenders that could offer you construction financing if the numbers make sense but it will cost you with points and a higher rate.

The new appraisal just doesn’t make sense, especially when compared to the first one.

It seems investing in TN where we are now, and being able to work on the properties ourselves makes more sense.  

@Chris Mahoo, rule one of investing: if the investment only makes sense because of the "tax advantages" it is NOT a good investment.  

Remember, not every single decision in your life has to make financial sense.

If they're evaluating other properties and you have a good social presence that gives them peace of mind and a good sense that they'll have a nice living experience, that could be the tipping point if they're considering a similar property. 

You only get a sense of this by meeting face-to-face once or twice.A bad borrower can kill a great project.

Make sense? 

I think I am trying to figure out how to find a good wholesaler and see if it makes sense that they add my target area to their operations.

Studying the local market makes a lot of sense.