Thanks Jeff,Neither familial status, nor commute time is even remotely part of my screening - I was merely trying to paint the full picture about possible reason for bankruptcy (death of husband) and probably was overthinking all details. 

"Oh Hi Mike, we noticed that the bottom step was a different shade of grey while we were in this weekend, does your seller have the paint to make it match?""

The house has new paint, lights and floors.

My sister wants to get involved and will be helping by assisting me in whatever reno projects we can do ourselves (probably just painting, tiling, flooring, and basic stuff to save on labor) and by letting me use her good credit for finance options.

.- Exterior paint, interior paint - HVAC and water heater appear new, roof appears new- Interior has some water stain marks, replace drywall patches- Replace kitchen with modern cabinets, granite, appliances- Oak floors downstairs hopefully can be refinished- Replace carpet upstairs with composite flooring or nice carpet - stairs are carpeted!

Paint is peeling and other problems are there that you would expect for a house that has been left vacant for a long period of time.This is the first time I have talked to a seller directly and I am not much of a negotiator.

Broad brushes paint pretty abstract pictures. 

The landlord wanted me to get the first floor painted.

You want to walk through to see what upgrades you can do, maybe get a couple rooms painted, some new carpet or a faucet.

Sometimes it can be stressful but most of the time you just have to laugh it off and move forward.Just in the short time I've been rehabbing properties I've dealt with gravity furnaces, lead paint, asbestos, foundation issues, no foundation (really), but this is a new one for me.