My neighbor is selling because he now has a child and needs more room.

I am also interested in learning about ways to invest in the Portland-Metro area from a distance (I have family in the area that I would trust to assist me in getting my foot in the door). 

However you can install a couple of large footings at the end of each wall and install a beam, maybe a steel I bean into the ceiling and to which the cross ceiling joists connect using joist hangers.

I'm told by a GC that works with flippers and has done some big jobs that the rehab will take about $200k, and about 6 months from permit approval for the approx. 800 square foot addition to the 2000 square foot house.  

If that really isn't an option then what alternatives are there to get my foot in the door, to start building wealth and strong network? 

Is that fair that an hoa believes they can just get away with crime and when they are going to be punished for their wrong doings, they cry like a child saying that's not fair, we don't deserve this?

There is often someone who knows the whole story - sometimes you have to ask around.Like K Marie Poe says, albeit in a different area of REI: take a problem child property and diligently apply creative solutions.Keep us posted!

Persons who perform lead-based paint activities within residential dwellings they own and occupy are exempt from the regulations unless the residential dwelling is occupied by a person or persons other than the owner or owner's immediate family while these activities are being performed, or a child residing in the building has been identified as having an elevated blood lead level as determined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.It was in these FAQs... 

You are being charged retail price on a per square foot basis.

He never set foot in the apartment (saw a model) because when he looked at it the tenants were still there and it wasn't going to be available until the day he moved in.