One of the project neighbors slowed the project by 6 months by appealing the staff decision through design review, planning and zoning and city council.

Better materials such as stronger  lumber were used when the earlier vintage properties were built and many  contained design characteristics such as stone or brick work and intricate millwork that are too costly to replicate today meaning many buildings are significantly below todays replacement cost. 

Following this, I consider it another pro of our situation that I have the ability to do significant property renovations myself, and between my wife and I, we make a pretty good design team.

Ironically, platforms designed for real estate (Zillow, Apartments.com, Rentler, etc.) produce very few tenants for me, compared to FB Marketplace (and I also find a lot of their functionality to be user un-friendly, from the landlord side). ...you'd think that platforms custom-made for real estate would make the process a snap for landlords, but it takes me a lot longer to post and manage rental listings on Zillow or Rentler than it did on Craigslist.

However, I have no idea how to choose from the remaining cities, it seems there are a lot of potential options:- Midwest - Michigan (ie: Grand Rapids) seems to have options, also seeing Columbus Ohio and Indianapolis coming up- Reno - I've seen mentioned several times on here- Pittsburgh / Philadelphia / Twin Cities - All mentioned as lower cost to get started, and seem to be experiencing growthI'd ideally like to find a place that has strong potential for future growth, a diversified economy, and I don't mind living in (being close to nature would be a plus). 

It's failed in grand fashion every time, for good reasons but hey feel free. 

He received quotes to remove the texture ceiling, paint the interior, purchase and install new kitchen cabinets and counters (including completing the design), picked out 2 floorings to get quotes which will be provided this week, and determined furnace is beyond saving (I will likely get HVAC quote for him).  

BiggerPockets is full of resources designed to help you along your journey, whether you are just getting started or a seasoned investor.

The 1031 exchange is designed to give you a loophole: You are not considered to be selling and buying, you are simply trading your property for a different one or ones.

., how much design work does the civil engineer need to do.