It is true that you will pay more for a quality contractor but you will save money and aggravation in the end. 

I used these guys back in 2011: http://theambrosegroup.net/ambrose-cost-segregatio...I'm not qualified to judge the quality of their work but my recollection was that they were professional and easy to work with.

. - and then your second problem is that you only make money while the lien is outstanding.

I can't see quality brokers like Mark Ferguson or Joe Evangelisti pulling this scared schoolyard stunt, either.   

No recorded COA liens, but have to assume there are some outstanding fees.

Of course A/R quality, deferred maintenance, your credit score, appraisal value, down pmt, all matter a lot too.

An experienced investor with capital might be able to renovate and attract higher quality of tenants.  

if you want the quality of plywood cabinets, with a little more customization you might check out cabinotch.com .

Not necessarily in the worst neighborhoods, but places where average real estate prices are relatively low and the quality of life is still decent. 

I recently read in Malcolm Gladwell's book "The Tipping Point" (pg72) that "what separates a great salesman from an average one is the number & quality of the answers they have to the objections  commonly raised by potential clients" or sellers in our case.