I assuredly don't want to be hammering nails in with guests here, so it is a happy problem. 

I only worked with the lender and the realtor- I knew starting out this would be a rental when I was ready to purchase a new home, and the lender assured me that it only needed to be owner occupied for 1 year, and 2 years in order to not repay the credit of $3000.In January I purchased a second home and got an owner occupied loan on that residence.

So, to give myself some assurance I would prefer to take title of the property....but if the property taxes are reassessed the guy will not be able to afford them.

That said, if you find a contractor with whom you feel comfortable, and can assure them that if you get the project, they get the project, then you might find someone willing (think similarly to the agreement a buyer's agent may have with their client).It's one thing to do a quick walk-through and give you their take on the project, it's another to invest hours into preparing a bid for a project that they may not get (simply because you did not get it), or later have to bid against other contractors to get once you do own it.As for hiring a GC for your initial project or two... that depends a lot on your construction knowledge, your network of subcontractors, available time to do the scope clarification for each and every trade, coordinate their activities with one another, etc.  

OK well I was there a few months ago looking at what i funded and these were not in the war zones of Cleveland I can assure you of that. 

While assuring neighbors that you are dealing with it, you can also let the neighbors know that any illegal activity should be reported to the police.

I can assure you that you'll always remain a pedestrian unless you take action.

It's instant credibility and potential clients love to hear that I am building a practice focused around providing services to real estate investors. 90% of my client base represents individuals or businesses who invest in real property assets which helps assure potential clients that I can meet their needs.I'd put all my energy into that and stashing cash away.

Sorry I cannot be of help to your direct question on the rental market but rest assured there will be someone.

Rest assured that you WILL have some amount of fixup to get it sold.