You can strengthen your position by documenting the repair estimates and the potential loss of income due to the disruption in bookings.

She/he should be able to provide you with a chart of accounts to choose from, such as Repairs & Maintenance, Supplies and Amenities, etc.

Vet property managers well; income can vary greatly in the same location due to the quality of the property management.

You could rehab a distressed property using a fix-and-flip loan and then refinance the loan into a long-term DSCR once the repairs are finished.

My focus this time around is working with a reliable team and delivering a quality product.  

After some research, I'm thinking it would be a good opportunity to proceed with the offer and to set aside the "free" money for use for repairs/renovations and holding costs to have some extra cushion.There seems to be much debate on the use of credit cards in real estate investing, but considering my circumstances .. 1.  

These are my options:a) Expensive contractor - wants $8,500 to demo and cap the two stacks plus some other brick repairs/repointing. 

Usually as long as their are no life threatening issues (no HVAC, windows won't open, no hot water), the housing authority will began to pay the rent and give you time to address the required repairs.

Are these worth repairing?

I make all necessary repairs as soon as possible, too.