I have lost friends that i consider family and have also seen what happens to the families when they lose the heads of the households when they did not have anything left for them.

Option 1: pay off 20k remod and wait to build up more cash to buy additional SFR but could lose out.

I have a college business degree with real estate emphasis.  

This will expose you to more non-conventional investment deals that will put less emphasis on your credit score.

But I also cant afford to lose money.

I guess me and my partner was frustrated that every year we would be losing money on the 2 properties , so we just sold it fast and at a lost.  

Regardless of which State you are closing in, some title companies will and some will not.You lose nothing by asking, but if you don't even ask - - you're guaranteed nothing will happen.

I am relatively new to Bigger Pockets and had no idea how much emphasis was put on fees.  

There are people, this very moment, that are losing money from real estate month after month. 

I was working with a couple investors, who bought cheap properties that wouldn't pay my ledger balance, let alone my bills, and struggling to list homes after losing the builder I worked with at the beginning of the bubble burst.