There were plenty of deals to be had since there were tons coming on the market that were dirt cheap IMHO.

I do have 100k equity in my current home so if things go sour I can sell my current home and pay off the cheap one.

There is plenty of cash-flow and I know there will be expenses like this, I'm probably just being cheap. :)  Thanks again and good luck to you all!

If you partner with a guy, he gets paid more for finding cheap solutions...Guess which jobs go smoother.

Especially early on, you will need this expert help, and it's a fairly cheap price at perhaps 6% since you'll likely have to pay money anyway to get it on the MLS.Best of luck!

Even FEMA says over 20% of flood damage occurs outside of the mandatory flood zones, but I don't expect them to actually come up with a common sense fix, so I'm just avoiding future flood zone properties unless it's cheap enough to take the risk.  

There are some engineer hardwood floors for cheap at lumber liquidaters or floor decor. 

Both of those have EXCELLENT customer service and super cheap options.  

Go cheap via DIY and you just might end up in jail for involuntary manslaughter if it fails - - do you really think this a trivial risk?

After reading everyone's replies it appears even though 2016 has 2004 prices, 2016 has cheap money to borrow which 2004 did not.