I can buy houses in town that need just alittle bit of cosmetic work for 20,000 all day long.

We did our walk through and the property needs all cosmetic work.

I havent seen too many investors knock down these properties- avg rehabs are usually anywhere from $10k - $30k(Providence) $25k - $75k(Boston), if youre dealing with a mostly cosmetic rehab.  

Some just want cosmetic, while others will take on the worst of the worst.

And mid 6 figures was not uncommon.. not many 7 figure but 50 to 500k per logging show was pretty routine. then the Japanese economy collapsed and there went the big dollars.. still decent money in it..

Those are all cosmetic issues that should have been discussed before they took the keys.  

If you're handy I would buy somewhere that needs minor cosmetic updating (or worse if you can do the work)  and fix it up to force appreciation.

I'm looking for a referral for an investor friendly RE agent in the Tampa area that has off-market opportunities for single-family homes and is also routinely available for MLS showings. 

It is pretty much a cosmetic rehab.

No, this is a routine operating cost.