We are devout converts who live, eat, sleep and breathe what we believe. 

You have to have the intent on occupying the property for at least a year.

Beg borrow or steal the money to get the foundation fixed.Brian above had a very good suggestion on how on how to get a good loan.Get the place cleaned up as best as you can...farm out any of the prep that you can't do yourself.Take deep breaths. 

I would love to say that this is wrong, but in reality, if the bank held their breath and did nothing everytime a borrower said they wanted to do a short sale, it would be counterproductive for the bank.

Just to echo what has been said already, a written letter notifying the tenant in advance of your intent to enter at a specific time/date goes a long way.

The intent of making it unlawful to pay us more on a particular loan that was more profitable (because we jacked up their rate way above market, for example) was to make variances that large go away.

Mistake or intentional real estate is a great world to get into.

my intent is to rehab rent and refi

But would consider core areas with the understanding that I may be overpaying by up to 10% but over 10 years it will be a winner.I'm a Brentwood guy who started buying up SFRs in 2011-2013 time fame and the return over roughly the past 3 to 4 years has been breath taking.

Therefore, it was the Legislature's intent not to extend the coverage of the Guaranty Fund to those who are engaged in the real estate investment business on a large scale.