From what you have listed I feel that I help homeowners is more personal and could appeal to a seller on a more personal level, however the I buy houses approach is more to the point of what you are trying to do.

The work included replumbing the entire home, new furnace and A/C, new water heater, Lower level gut and refinish, new patio, new garage door and garage repairs, new roof, kitchen gut, bathroom gut, hardwood refinish, new flooring, new doors, new trim, a lot of drywall work and paint.

Those are what will point the right direction for you.The way you protect yourself from a market downturn is to vet the market to make sure it is resistant (i.e. not single industry as Detroit was), vet the neighborhood (improving?

I treated the sheetrock with bleach, applied mold resistant paint and then color matched the paint.

The DOS has a very clearly defined exposure level (loan balance + new closing costs).

I think looking at our properties collectively, at the portfolio level (even if you only have a few doors), is going to be important going forward. 

As such, this is not an area we have delved into at the level of detail required to answer the question at hand.  

They can use a little more common sense in these types of situations (your education level, your track record, your income, etc) and lend on that basis.

With that being said I am willing to work with those who are honest and will help us all be successful to whatever level we each desire.Looking into the future I will be attending REI meetings, as well as continuing to study to move this journey forward.

On the other hand, drain pipes only carry water when the water is turned on at the faucet level, so since the water wasn't being used the evidence you saw of a leak was dry.