For FHA 203 loans, you are allowed to not live in the property while renovations are being completed, so long as the renovations dictate that you cannot/should not live in the home.

Having lived there a year it is a foreign country and many things are different and culture etc plus you have the native peoples that own huge amounts of real estate and They dont pay income tax and they get food and gas for way cheaper etc etc..

PMs have to keep the utilities working for various reasons (uninhabitable living conditions, pipes freezing, etc) and you can't count on a tenant like this to do that.

A lot of section 8 renters go straight to their case workers with issues like this and it becomes a lot bigger deal than it needs to be.Just do the treatment, cover up the holes, and move on.

You should go through an RMLO if it is a homeowner who will live there.You are doing a wrap loan.

I know because I successfully owned properties in Phoenix while living in NYC and Houston.  

With that in mind, I’ve decided to focus first on finding a distressed SFH that I can add value to, live in for a few years, and keep as part of my long-term portfolio.I like your suggestion about building the “core 4” team—agent, lender, contractor, and property manager—and will definitely prioritize that as I move forward.

I live in New York as well, but have chosen to go out of state for my investments. 

So you might be living in the US or in Europe, investment properties are bought to outsource and earn from the cashflow.

So white shaker cabinets and quartz countertops really don't get a premium, because a majority of the tenant base would rather save $200/mo and live with the oak cabinets and laminate counters.