I think the above are the type of items your engineer wants you to look at.  

The local law says that the non owner occupied property being rented will need a designated host that may or may not be the owner however that other line item in the code that stipulates that the host must be available within 30 min driving while the unit is occupied becomes the dealbreaker.

If you can hold on till first part of January the showings and everything else should pickup.This would be my action items: 1. hire a new agent that can sell the place, and get you numbers are rent and selling and sell the place. 2. be honest on the numbers you can get on an ARV so that you can sell it 3. start to get the conversation started with a couple lenders on what these numbers on refi would look like for you and this property 4. my suggestion would be to refi/rent before selling at a loss because if numbers work you can hold for a couple years then sell, but this is dependent on your cash position and liquidity of your situation. 

You need to make sure that your property is easily financeable if you decide to sell it in the future and any future buyer can call out non-permitted items and actually report you to the building department or, at a minimum, ask for seller concessions.

I'd recommend the spread on the return and your ability to replace damaged items (local vs. not local, strength of your team) be the determining factors in that decision.

Costs ran significantly over on both of these items and not being in the area it was not possible for me to add my experience in renovations to lowering them. 

Taxes are another item on your deal analysis.  

Those two items will vary quite a bit depending on the house.

If you’re weighing a move.. be it a 1031 exchange in Oregon or locking in a promising rental in Phoenix.. just remember that the right local knowledge, strong relationships, and a willingness to adapt can set you up for something more than just another line item on your spreadsheet.

No but if you paid for those items you could get copies of them and use them for a private lender who may be able to give you a loan.