@Mike Wilkinson No recommendations for you here, but some - hopefully - helpful insight.Based on my personal experience with, you must be an educated consumer.

., slap yourself for saying "sacrifice and gratification" when referring to where you live...do not go down the "Oh I work so hard I deserve this fancy crap that does not actually bring happiness but makes me feel better about myself ;)Now...what I mean is...what you DESERVE is to purchase the freedom to do whatever you want and live wherever you want by not consuming what you make now.   

If lead paint is more than a certain sq ft then you have to use the EPA process for lead based paint cleanup and it can be expensive and time consuming.

I am consumed now by wanting more, learning more and reading more - a new found adult learning experience.

Consumers do not like having to work to get somewhere.

A process that is not only time consuming, but may very likely end up costing a few hundred to a few thousand dollars with no guarantee that it would be approved. 

“However, if house prices collapse consumer spending could suffer, via negative impact on wealth, including from exposures to bank shares, which would encourage deleveraging.

If in CA reporting to the board will get her severely disciplined if she is indeed in the wrong I also think there is a fund that helps return money to swindled consumers, funded by realtor dues.

@Rexanne Andrews door knocking is a great idea but I find it a bit time consuming. 

My wife and I have been interested in real estate as a means of financial freedom for a couple of years now, and we've spent that time voraciously consuming all of the content we can find on the subject (especially on Bigger Pockets).