Buy in volume, if possible and store in your warehouse or off site facility (when you get to this stage). 

But the other 96% includes people who are seminar junkies, people looking for more info who have no intention of doing anything at this stage, people looking for dates, and a big chunk who eventually take action later.  

So, I can renovate any property in the US to move in condition by doing a cosmetic upgrade for $XX depending on the size of the property.This is just step one to get to an offer stage...you'll need to bust *** in due diligence to confirm your assumptions...a great agent can be your best asset here...or your contractor network.Unfortunately, the real solution is a wildly complex algorithm that will only get you marginally better results...remember, acquire properties by going through phases...phase 1 is getting comfortable with an offer based on what you know after the first filter...entering due diligence is where the real work starts. 

A general contractor knows how to stage a job to prevent overlap of trades.

Stages of change:PrecontemplationContemplationPreparationActionMaintenanceTerminationI sense that your partner is probably in the first phase of your REI journey, so thinking of "cutting your losses" may be premature.

Take all those ideas about staging and amenities and make sure the place looks fantastic.

A reputable builder would have got the leak fixed before it got to the mold stage and before they put in the finishes. 

Would love to know how you found your deals in the early stages?

HA/ VRBOs only chance  at this stage is Expedia.. but when I look at my listing on Expedia (which they didn’t even tell me was posted there) the quality of photos is an absolute disaster. 

Yes, leaving my full time gig anytime soon wouldn't make good financial sense, so at this stage, it's a goal.