That is a big negative in some owner's minds.So like Myka said, you need to find a good, reputable trustworthy person or company if you are going to give access to your VRBO account to them.I hope this helps!

I was unable to locate a trustworthy property management company or contractors.

This is how I know the contractor lied about getting in the attic and walking the roof.Lessons learned:Use trust worthy contractors and make them take pictures of their inspection, if your not sure pay for a quality inspector.Cats can pee really high on walls and love the corners, even attics.Cat urine is harder to get rid of than other urine due to the fact that its molecules are much smaller and are hard to cover up (seal in the smell), the smell molecules will literally pass through water-based kills paint.Products that work really good are Oil based kills and to dissolve urine on hard surfaces, use a product called Anti-Icky-Poo.  

Look for comps on both "as is cash" sales for it's current value and look for recently rehabbed properties that have sold for a ARV.I would also find a trustworthy contractor and get a real estimate.$20k might be way too high or $40k might be way too low depending upon what the house really needs.Also, if you plan to wholesale you cannot assign a HUD contract.

Hiring a trustworthy PM seems like it would take away most/all of the profit.

Congrats, on both of those deals and, more importantly, on staying persistent to find your niche.Lots of misinformation on this thread.Andrey is not pitching anything or lyingHe is not expecting 30% IRR on every opportunityFinding and vetting trustworthy sponsors is not as hard as non-syndication investors thinkPerforming diligence on sponsors takes years, not hours or daysMany sophisticated LPs perform extensive diligence on sponsors and opportunities that is not discussed on BP (TLO reports on history of crime, bankruptcies, collections, credit, businesses owned, personal residence owned, employment, family members (including phone numbers), even traffic violations...the list goes on)Many LPs leverage sites like Ian's, 506 group, in-person conferences, and one another to analyze opportunities and sponsors together (it's a lot more sophisticated that the "what do you think about XYZ" posts on BP)There are tons of sponsors and opportunities that don't use short-term, bridge financing or max leverageMost are using 5-12 year debt, with inception LTVs in the 70s and year 2-3 LTVs in the 60s (and carry high reserves on top of that)The opportunities discussed on BP are only a small fraction of what's available in the marketPrudent syndication investing is just like anything else in life...it takes diligence and time. 

Your experienced and trustworthy Inspector can tell you what to expect with capital expenses.  

What matters most to us is finding trustworthy renters with the ability to pay on time regularly.

)If the credit repair company is the best solution, how do I know which credit repair company is trustworthy?

Depends on the Agent....some less trustworthy agents have a hard time working in an intermediary capacity.Next have the property inspected....structure, mechanical and pest.