The two sub contractors we are working with said they wouldn’t bother with permits because it will make it very difficult to get finished.We aren’t in a huge rush, but also don’t want to bring the government into this and they shut the entire thing down for one reason or another.

I’m hoping to invest in a buy & hold property using a HELOC from my primary home as the down payment.

2) Does old carpet bring the house value down?

We are/were hoping to put a $60-70k down payment on a higher-end 'A' new build property with Rent to Retirement as I really like their business model/community, rather than a smaller down payment on a refurbished property in a 'C' area.

Its easy and cheap to insulate accessible locations like an attic and since heat rises and the sun beats down on your roof the attic insulation is probably your best bang for the buck when insulating.

I have my license in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma and want to do most of my investing local for right now before heading out of state I think. 

Assuming the quotes come back at less than 100k (I currently have a baseless number of 50k in my head), this seems like a no brainer, which is why I want to ensure I'm not missing anything.

I'm always down to chat - contact info in bio!

A lot of this comes down to language. 

Generally any multi family purchases 5+ units is considered commercial, and although many lenders offer financing, the down payment requirements will be slightly higher..usually 25-35% depending on the number of doors.