Hello, I'm seeking recommendations for great contractors who service Little Village, Chicago 60623 to assist with the following needs:- roofers for a pitched roof- replace floorboards in attic- fix ceiling with water damage- minor wall repair and painting- tuck pointing- junk removal- a reliable handyman!

Tuck pointing and lentels are also typically easily visible in a walk around of the building.For the water pressure and unit gut, if you were given access to tour units prior to offer and didn't, as a seller I would say it is on you. 

You also will want to budget some money for tuck pointing and/or additional repairs to the roof decking and joists.

I picked up REM today, the REIT ETF, it was getting crushed and has some decent Real Estate Investement Trusts tucked in it.

I used Foundations Systems of Michigan for encapsulating the crawl space.Before Pictures:Repairs/upgrades: PaintVinyl FlooringPorcelain FloorsBase Boards, Casing, moldingPlugs & OutletsFixturesBlindsLED Recessed LightsInterior & Screen Doors- removed exterior doors in kitchenStainless Steel Appliances Quartz CountertopsCabinetsBacksplashHookup- New Washer/DryerNew VanityVent FansToiletsTub/ShowerGuttersChimney Caps/Tuck PointHot Water Heater- 1Encapsulated Crawl Space, Added Sump PumpFurnace- 1After Pictures:Unit A: http://smartfloorplan.com/mi/v431539/player.plUnit B: http://smartfloorplan.com/mi/v431659/player.pl RentI rented unit A for $850 and unit B for $825 fairly easily.

Foundations often need to be tuck pointed and grading around the house is typically needed. 

It's only a stepping stone to break free.While you are slaving, eat ramen, roommate up or live in trailer, avoid Starbucks and tuck every dollar you can squeeze out into a bank account. need 20% down and money for materials. so for 80K home (trashed), you will want 35K banked to get started, just a rough idea.Then, get pre-approved.

There is a few others tucked in other corners, like Olde Forge, but they are all about the same more or less.

Another thing is, after I got into it for a while, own a few rentals. like over 10 years, each property throws off some depreciation, year after year, improvements I did 3 yrs, 5yrs, 6 yrs ago, that I won't have to worry that I don't have deductions, I got it tucked away.

If you have enough tucked away to live 40-50 years on your anticipated budget considering inflation then I don't think there's anything wrong paying down your mortgage early for peace of mind.Assuming that you are going to remain in the home you are talking about, paying down principal has terrible opportunity costs if you assume even a modest return on the savings.