Despite new reporting requirements, such as those imposed by FinCEN, it's still possible to achieve a degree of anonymity with careful planning and the proper jurisdiction.

The BEST would be to obtain a college degree in real estate investment, finance or development.  

That may sound speculative, but in some degree all forms of investing are.

And to not spend too much on things that don't matter too much; thinking flooring or at least carpet to a degree don't want to go too cheap on that, exterior things like siding not sure if there is much money to save there, any other areas to save money?

The investor-focused real estate agents in this space all know each other to a certain degree.

It would be hard for anyone on here to speculate with any degree of certainty. 

These tools can help you estimate the materials you'll need and their costs with a high degree of specificity​.Each of these resources has its unique strengths, from providing comprehensive project estimates to focusing on specific materials or aspects of construction.

While you can customize certain things you are more limited with your degrees of freedom to change an older property.

There is merely varying degrees of risk.

I would charge a fairly high price if I had to get into an area that might have been more than 125 degrees.