fit into the mix?

Rather than try to make a round peg fit into a square hole (i.e., blend a bold design with a transitional home), we decided to highlight its natural style and create this simple yet showstopper design!

Ideally it should still cash flow solidly but may not appreciate quite as rapidly as the bigger market.

Check with your broker and make sure this fits with your local laws.

Ideally, my goal would be to get $40-45k equity back out.

What do you want your ideal life to look life?

Investing locally would be ideal for sure.  

Look up ideal existing performing properties, your "hero's" as it were, find out who own's it, and reach out to them. 

I think having a balanced budget would be ideal where you allocate money into buying another property and money set aside for renovations.

Ideally, you want something in writing, but that is probably unlikely since no one will want to stand behind a not-yet-final number.