Your taxes are none of the ex wife's business and this would seem to address your concerns.I would also put her on notice that future requests for financial discovery will be two-way and if a discrepancy is seen in the other direction you will seek support from her.

.- If you try to hire contractor directly, you have about a 90%+ chance of getting taken advantage of.

Would need to know a bit more before giving a specific direction but it is usually best to hang on to your property and not sell whether you expand on it or rent it out and purchase a bigger property.  

@Yaniv KehatI'm an LO at a direct lender.

Ideally want to break even or cash flow with the 3 tenants.

I'm Shawn Moore, the founder of Vodyssey and happy to answer any direct questions as well.  

Quote from @Jonathan Klemm: Sounds like you are no doubt heading in the right direction @Jason B.!  

So while it's not as ideal as a multifamily property, it does present a solution for those that are in the personal situation where they can. 

Increasing job growth and a strong economy brings an ideal investment in these markets.

I have had luck with doing direct mail marketing for some of my past clients that wanted a certain area or neighborhood, you'd be surprised at how many sellers don't want to deal with showings and everything else that goes into listing a home.