They started as Polish immigrants with nothing starting out in Germany.

The kitchen, dining area, and bath have radiant floor heat so the floors are toasty warm in winter in that part of the house.In researching tile, vinyl, and laminate (which I question in a rental now) it dawned on me that polishing the concrete floors might be an option!

I think Tribe of Mentors is more polished, but I try to read a chapter from one or the other every day 

I echo the above advice to make only the minimum basic repairs: fix the leaks, get rid of the mold, clean it up, stabilize it so water intrusion and whatever issues it has aren't getting worse, maybe do some demo to get rid of major eye-sore areas, slap some paint around strategically, remove trash/overgrown bushes and whatever from the property, improve the curb appeal however possible, apply turd polish liberally... whatever you can do with as little money as possible to make it look a little better, and then wholetail it like a hot potato for whatever you can get. 

Be patient finding the deal and polishing it Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

NETWORKnetwork like crazy. you need to meet people who have moneyThis site is GREAT for that, I've borrowed private money from people I have met off herelocal REIA meetings are great tooalso, market yourself so people know you. when people consider giving you money, they are going to search you on the internet, they want to go to your facebook/twitter/webpage. make sure what they find is as polished and professional as it can be. curate your online presence so when you ask for money people find you legitimate and trustworthy.

It’s easier to fix the irrigation system than the dead landscaping.”Either personally or with a flooring guy I’d try to cover up the scuffs with wax/polish/wood marker, I don’t think most new tenants would see or care.

most think they can buy a turd, take a month to polish it... then refinance and POOF!

It was mostly a cosmetic fixer - new paint, carpets, new bathroom, polish floors, some landscaping.

Gold doesn’t just lay on the ground all nice and polished for you to pick up.