Also my partner and I are fortunate to both have very good credit.Not sure if it's a pipe dream, but the priorities I have for a loan are:1) The ability to be my own contractor on the renovation2) The ability to finance a property that is underneath the minimum standards of most traditional loans (Safety, Security, Soundness and all that jazz)3) The ability to be competitive with other buyersIt sounds like there are not conventional products that work with these requirements.

We have already done the survey and soil test.

Needless to say the vacation turned into a nightmare as we spent the rest of the time getting through the embassy process and back to US soil. 

Soil compactionMake a template of each topic above and look through BP lookup.

If it was not visually obvious what was causing the foundation problems he said that he would have to do an "engineering evaluation" which could involve digging up soil samples, backhoes and drilling and could possibly cost thousands more, and thats just the price for the evaluation and wouldn't include the cost for repair.  

A decade of neglect had left water runoff seeping into the soil very close to the foundation and longitudinal cracks were present throughout the basement walls.

You most likely have a lateral load applied perpendicular to the CMU, perhaps by expansive soil?

Hi @Michael McCarthy,In the comments of that article I actually link to a podcast with George Antone where he gives a more in-depth explanation, which you can find here.http://reinvestorsummit.com/george-antone/There’s also a transcription of the interview underneath the audio section of that page.

It’s much bigger and nicer. 2200 sqft 4/2 with a 2200 sqft garage and paved shop underneath List - 155kPurchase - 142kRent - 1900-2000 long term (outside shot at 2300), STR I believe is 2700Repairs budgeted - 39k (I plan on doing most of the labor myself)ARV - this is where it gets sticky.  

The main issue is Multnomah county and specifically the city of Portland.. if you invest outside those areas landlord laws are not what everyone makes them out to be.better deals are had as U move south from PDX  and SW Washington can work but careful of low end type situations.No income tax in Wa as well.and for the Texas idea keep in mind property tax's are sky high along with on going weather and soil issues so you want to be very careful there its not all about eviction laws.