Also, based on what I wrote, if any of you do off market buying, I would appreciate ANY advice.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a reliable, quality cleaning company with great communication?

Hey Jon would recommend checking out FB groups if you aren't local (looks like you're based in the Bay).

I'm a contractor based in Maryland and DC, so the renovation aspect is well within my expertise, having done numerous projects for other developers and general contractors.However, I'm facing a challenge when it comes to choosing the interior design elements, such as bathroom tiles, colors, sizes, fixtures, etc.

Dont know where to start any suggestions will be great thank you For the 300k property they are probably not going to let you pull any money out based on the amount of credit you already owe.

(many contractors are going to bite off more than they can chew and communication will be key). 

Quote from @John Busch: Truly appreciate the multiple responses and look forward to continuing our communication as we live in Southern CA and do not have many contacts in that part of the county. 

I'm based in the Boise area so we're a little far apart.

Typically, the tax is based on the assessed fair market value of the property at the time of the transfer, even if it’s not a traditional sale.

Or, you could ask for a rate quote based on a range of credit scores and you can figure out what they'd charge you on your own.