I have the exact same need for two duplexes on the same block.

I've noticed that rents can vary significantly from block to block in certain areas in CT.

Items needed include:  new HVAC (current was installed in 2003), new water heater (the house has two, one is new, and the other was made in 1998), significant bathroom repairs/remodels in both bathrooms to re-do unskilled labor, window replacement to re-do unskilled labor, destruction of the garage and rebuilding the roof to be without the garage, destruction of a cinder block wall that was supposed to be used with the garage, finishing the driveway that was half-completed, fixing plumbing violations, new flooring and paint in the entire 2000 sq ft house, updating tax records with number of rooms and bedrooms, and some cosmetic updates.I initially offered $90-95k range, and said I would present a final offer upon review of the repairs.  

I simply add something like the following to Block 20 ("Additional Terms"):"Buyer reserves the right to finance a portion of the purchase price, but is not requesting a financing contingency".Obviously, if your financing falls through in this scenario, you are obligated to cough up the cash to close, or lose your deposit.

After my first buy there I can pass along a few things: 1)Baltimore is block by block.

I would do a simple counter top on the island, maybe butcher block to add character.  

This property is not in "Beverly Hills" by any means, it's rough and our tenant pool will be a lot of section 8 type people but it's literally 1 block from the State Capital and other government . 

I usually block out a 6-10pm window for this.  

Has anyone else run into this road block on their first deal?

And looking back, I'm lucky I didn't blow up the block since the gas water heater was in the garage.