.#8 I would consider your inspection cost a very cheap crash course in buying long distance investment properties. 

If you are a wine drinker like me it's been great - I remember how bad all cheap wine used to be - but I can see a big difference in the popularity from 20 years ago.  2 buck chuck !!! 

And guess what, is that person going to do EVERYTHING they can to throw you under the bus and roll back and fourth over your corpse, HECK-YEAH they will!   

We are in touch already, but for anyone else reading this, I thought I'd throw in some thoughts about your question on starting with turnkeys and thoughts on that. 

If you can reasonably throw up a new wall and closet, turning a 3 bed into a 4 bed, that is a great place to start, but only if it works for the property and you have at least 2 full bathrooms.  

And investing in cheap homes is absolutely fool's gold. 

If some other dude wanted to run this business it sounds like they could just buy a mobile home on a similar plot of land for like $200,000 and throw up $40,000 worth of sheds and the like.

Got for pretty cheap and cashflows with no problems.

The main property will be my primary residence.My biggest question is, what kind of foundation would you use, (that is to code and will pass inspection/permits in Charlottesville) that is either relatively easy DIY or cheap to outsource.

Just fyi it never pays to lawyer up for EM squabbles  your just throwing good money after bad..