And finally, should we keep up this pace or should we relax? 

I do real estate part time and mostly for myself and our own investments but have time now before the holiday season picks up and would be happy to help you find a place.  

If everything works out, the closing would be right before the holidays.

I just make sure the numbers work and sit back and relax and wait well my tenants pay off my mortgage and then my cash monthly will go thru the roof.  

Very relaxing at a fraction of the cost. 

Everybody needs to relax

CA isn't exactly the most relaxed construction / demolition atmosphere.Consider the cost to fix vs. the increased value you will have with an operating pool. 

I have seen when LTV's are at real low levels with a big down payment the underwriters tend to relax a little more.

In essence, he wants to look at the numbers and compare and see if it'll be worth his time to have the property listed during the holidays  or will it be best for him to do a cash offer and move on. 

I am not sure how well they are marketing them either.The main question of this post is, what should I do in order to get these units rented as soon as possible before the holidays?