As @Mark Ainley suggested, you may wish to contact a permit expediter - in addition to assisting one through the actual process of permitting, they may prove very helpful in directing you to the design professionals you'll need.  

If you qualify for a loan on your own, go with an FHA 203k loan, which is designed for purchase and rehab.  

I've always loved interior design, but as I've pursued different avenues within that field, I realized I'm much more interested in staging.

It isn't designed for investors but is mature enough to deal with us easily.  

Hypothetical question of the day, primarily designed to compare markets in different parts of the country:If you were to purchase 500K of property, what kind of NOI would you expect in your Market and area?

I'm a puppet builder/designer, and if that isn't weird enough, I'm a puppet guy who isn't a weirdo introvert. 

I would also have it set up so you self host it instead of paying a company or web designer to host the site. 

We had to pull permits for everything and were required to submit a design plan for a "general rehab" permit.  

I have always loved design, architecture and the idea of making old things beautiful.

One other tip, any Home Depot with a tool rental will have the industrial sized snake designed for clearing sewer lines ... rented for $70 when a pro coming out would charge $300+.