I am a true believer that you can't cut your way to prosperity.As far as the car goes, most people finance cars and it is a horrible idea.  

I'm not sure how I can word this if the machines themselves aren't running properly.Do I cut the cord and have the washer and dryer hauled away?

I would believe that figure if you are just going to cut a bigger window from Menards into the basement opening, reusing all the same siding, no drain tile, no real digging, but at that point, its not really an egress window, its just a slightly larger standard window, which doesn't meet your criteria.

You won't find any unique things that you can do to get your first deal.this is a business that takes work not short cuts or something unique that no one else knows or has done.

I'm totally open to paying their full 3-6% commission (assuming the numbers work)... but I was curious if any of you get pushback from agent worried about sending you an address to look at first, so you don't try and cut them out...I of course would never cut them out, its bad business in my opinion, but I'm curious the right way to setup a deal?

My long-term goal would be to earn passive income through real estate to the point where I could cut back to part time at my job, while still having the financial freedom to travel and enjoy life. 

You've either raised rents by rehabbing the property or putting rents to market rent, or, you've cut down expenses somehow. 

You want a place for cutting, keeping tools, etc. without worrying about stepping over things or getting your personal items dusty.Hire contractors with good recommendations.  

Not sure it's the route I will go as I'm thinking I'll probably invest locally but it does sound like it cuts through some of that stuff you described.

I've seen a lot of folks start cutting corners when they get over budget. 2000 for AC is awesome, just signed with a guy for 3800 for a single wide MH unit and was tickled. got some estimates as high as $10K.