I am seeing a theme, account for the items that make the house habitable first - roof, foundation, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, windows and then move on the to the rest (new kitchens and baths, flooring, paint, drywall, accent pieces, etc...).

I think it has a lot to do with location....some places are more prone to insect infestation...mold and foundation issues due to weather.

You'd really need a decent artist to apply it.Nobody ever uses slab foundation in my area.

Is something like this usually run of the mill or of concern for foundation?

No foundation problems obvious on the outside, and they're not common in the neighborhood.

No amount of creativity will make up for not having a good foundation of real estate knowledge.

Here you have to have a double wide to place in the county, anywhere, with a complete conc. foundation down to frost level with a concrete floor in crawl areas.

Just thinking, you need to look at anything you tie in to and make sure it will carry the expected load, Following my suggestion above of bracing a rafter and tieing into joists that are floating and not laid above the top plate, will cause problems...you need to realize how weight is distributed and carried, all the way down to the foundation.

Now of you can bring a new unknown condition like maybe foundation, sewer line etc.

If you look at the Rich Dad series, that is a pretty good foundation to get started with.