Any professional Appraisers here that I could chew the fat with?

Yep, probably a big fat mortgage. 

A suburban strip mall that provides needed local services (e.g. dry cleaner, nail salon, variety store, coffee shop) is going to be much more stable then a declining neighborhood which can only attract payday loan & burner phone stores (how many of these do you need per block!).

Summer has made it tough but I have pretty much trimmed all the fat I could without going full-blown hermit mode and not enjoying myself.

An inspector will probably spend 3-4 hours there testing every outlet, window, burner, etc.

This is a BRRRR which is a different kind of mortgage and we are looking for a bank that will Refinance it for usSometimes it's the properties that make the decision.Well it' not over until the "Fat Lady Sings" and we will see if its a winner or a loser.

I see deferred maintenance in the future.I believe a big plus for them in owner financing is deferring the capital gains, and still getting those monthly checks, but there are cons for them too like not getting a fat check and still owning something with 3 other people.

Had my nose down and working hard over the last few years and the group went on the back burner, but I think it's time to visit this again and get to making it all happen.

Hi Kim,The house is screaming for a proper proper porch/entry with a portico... it would completely transform the front facade and give the house some much-needed curb appeal.That said, with your extremely limited budget, the next best solution would be build a MUCH bigger wood porch over the existing one (no demo cost, and it's below the entry treshold) that extends a few feet farther into the yard from the house, and if you can afford it, to the far right small window.Either way, build two simple fat columns at the corners of the porch that would be about a foot higher than the railing, and positioned just outside the two smaller windows flanking the entry door.Then, paint the entry door a deep, very rich burgundy.It probably would exceed your super-tight budget, but would absolutely be worth the investment.

I had an LNI inspector say to me, "Either you are the most naive person or a big fat liar."