You won't find them willing to pay astronomical list prices for 2-4 units like they do today. 

This is assuming the amount of repairs needed isn't astronomical.

I am told that although I do not owe the debt because it was released in the bankruptcy, the bank still holds the lien and they won’t release the lien unless I pay the debt-plus an astronomical amount of fees and interest.  

Isn’t that astronomical? 

It’s practically impossible to get someone on a weekend without paying astronomical prices so unless it’s a emergency I’m not sending a handyman out. 

BUT the risk is astronomical (that's why they offer those sky-high rates, to compensate investors for risk).

But with your house already being at 75% LTV, it is unlikely that you'll be able to get a HELOC on your house...not without agreeing to astronomical interest rates and having a credit line that frankly, isn't that large.

People have had to move farther away to find affordable pricing.The exception is the Newton, Dover, Wellesley corridor where prices have been astronomical since time immemorial.To the south, both Plymouth and Bristol counties (think south of Weymouth down to the Cape Cod Canal and west to I-95-ish) have much lower acquisition prices though they have lower rents than in Boston. 

I'm a native of Plymouth, taxes and property values are pretty astronomical.

@Aaron Kinney I agree there are costs with running a licensed business, but I disagree that the figure is so astronomical that it should not be considered.I will throw a figure out for a contractor's license (although I don't know if he'd need a GC license to run in-house projects): $1,000 a month going out the door before you do one job.