If it is weird and cheap when you buy it it will be weird and cheap when you sell it unless you can miraculously transform it.   

When a paycheck is on the line, miraculously everyone knows how to get the job done, or who can get the job done, right?

We are selling our 4br/2 ba 3500 sf house and moving into a 1400 sf house( Lakefront house, on Timberlake, we are trading space for location)We are trading in a 2.99 % for a 7.99% rate ( on a Bridge Loan) We got a bridge loan as we are buying the lake house now( they rarely come up for sale and we jumped on this when we saw it, a lifelong dream of living waterfront miraculously fulfulled!)

Then borrow 75% of the $100k value, which, in this case happens to be miraculously the amount you put in, in the first place.

I have done this many times with home renovations with my clients and miraculously, we more often than not, get the value we want :) You also have to be nice and respectful to the appraiser on site when they come. :) My 2 cents. 

Even though I had no clue what I was doing, miraculously, I often made money, and it felt good.

The tenant wasn't medically declared as disabled and miraculously managed to walk out of the apartment (with assistance from her partner).

Was he hoping for a big payout if they miraculously won the case and maybe sold the home?

The fact that they didn’t miraculously approve you instantly and want the cash at that exact moment lowers the chances that it is a scam IMO. 

There was a commercial lender that was well known that would collect a due diligence fee up front and then they would miraculously find a way to turn down the deal and keep the fee.