But unless they advertise the seller finance (and be careful as most are really bad deals), then you'll need to talk them into it.

You can do crazy stuff with trusts but hey are really bad at protecting assets. 

anyone can buy a bad deal - just go on Zillow and pick the first property you see and buy it. 

The question to think about is - is that such a bad thing? 

It would be a shame if the offending neighbors got woken up at night by loud music coming from speakers held under their floor.

I'm in Milwaukee and I have heard of a lot of bad stories involving this type of scenario...mostly involving out of state investors. 

I had a house in an area like this (previous HVAC was stolen while the house was vacant) although it doesn't seem nearly as bad as your area.

That is not luck, that is not random, that is suicide.So conclusion,  the people you are trying to skip trace (and pay money for to skip trace) are not just "a bad " audience.They are the worst possible audience.

Of you can relocate and house hack, I highly recommend that so you give up less cash upfront.Good job not spending your stack on some bad *** pick em up truck or other nonsense young people would otherwise spend it on! 

There is no given answer here, because the whole property needs to be relatively consistent.Kitchens and baths are the common answer, but if they are passable and you choose to invest in them anyways at the expense of peeling paint (or off putting exterior color) and overgrown landscaping, the appraiser and tenant will be walking up with a bad taste in their mouth, thereby not valuing the interior work you have done.But think about the general flow of someone looking to rent: more bedrooms will typically dictate more rent.