I’m worried about the appraisal not approving the 3rd home that needs work, and hoping a desktop appraisal would be ordered but not sure because it’s a unique property.  

@Evan Polaski We laid out our payment schedule in black and white and made sure our contract includes approval for any changes to the scope of work ahead of time.

Bank Cash+ Visa Signature CardI'm pre-approved for most, if not all, Chase Credit Cards

@Alberto Medellin there are lenders that will approve Galveston for vacation home loans to those of us in Houston.

I did nights and weekends over about 3 months but was still waiting on the RE Commission's approval to take the test for yet another 3 months after I finished the prep course.Once licensed and joining a brokerage you'll be required to invest about $1500 more in MLS membership fees, NAR membership fees, lockbox code fees, office fees, just a long long list of fees that will feel like a swarm of mosquitoes attacking your checking account, and for a student I guarantee that won't be a good feeling.Starting out as a realtor will be overwhelming, confusing, discouraging, and quite frankly flirting with buyer's remorse about having gotten into the field to begin with. 

It's a great approach if VA will approve it. 

., what it takes for a borrower to qualify to buy a house, and the steps in the process from pre-approval -> purchase agreement -> closing). 

@Ryan Chaif - I would get pre-approved so you know you are not wasting any seller's time. 

You can tell them what contractors, floor specialists you approve and let them choose from your list. 

There are some odd cases in Denver where the zoning dept has a separate doc that specifies the odd approved use of the property in the past before all of the zoning changes in 2010.