The guy I hired I asked to do a laundry list of tasks which included painting the exterior.

I could be way off on my assumptions which is why I hired an engineer to come by.

Doing most of the work myself because help is nearly impossible to hire around here.

that's a lot of bread to get the leads.. so you need tons of seed capital.those that have little to no marketing money to start .. pretty tough unless you bag a deal right out of the gate to keep you going.its the same for real estate agents getting started in that industry.. when  I had my shops and interviewed new licensed agents it was something we talked about.. you need ONE years of living expenses in the bank to even think about starting in this business.. same with wholesaling.. to try to do it with no money while it can be done .. flame out is virtually assured because of lack of capital in your small business. 

We never hired a management company, as it was not cost effective with rent we have been charging and it is only one house.Another question: If I do wait til Fall 2019 to sell, should I rip the carpet (up the stairs, living room hallways, bonus and bedrooms—2600sf house) and leave floors bare, (it’s light colored, horrible carpet) to allow buyers to add their own?

This is a great reason to hire a seasoned property manager. 

The tax bill link you posted does not show the property address (“unassigned”) of the parcel going to tax deed auction but it shows the owner as Roy L Bass who lives at 414 SE 12th ter   In any case, a vacant lot in a low income neighborhood is worth virtually nothing, which is why people let them go to tax auction all the time.

Since I don't have an agent to guide me thru the process do I need to hire an agent myself, do I need an attorney?

Perhaps a nice 1950's built bungalow.Always hire a 3rd party property inspector to give you an unbiased feel for the home.

A "mold inspector" is qualified to use the word and a mold remediation company is qualified to clean it up.Instead of hiring someone qualified to determine the scope of the problem, the proposed solution is to grab a bunch of other non qualified people (the HOA and neighbors) and have them provide resources to determine if.... wet spot in one unit = Life damaging problem.My solution is to hire a qualified mold inspector that he pays for.