Do I have any recourse if they refuse to issue me the difference or advocate to the contractor on my behalf? 

you have to tell your buyer, likley illegal not to, but you dont want it blowing up an escrow...... but if the house didnt cause the murders... aka it was an angry spouse, could have happened anywhere, not because of neighbors or a local gang etc.... then price it attractively and people will overcome the ick factor.  

I was wondering if anyone is aware of any lobbying groups or organizations in Massachusetts that advocate for LANDLORD rights.

The bank isn't going to let you blow their money.

The real estate agent came highly recommended and she has proven to be a wonderful boots on the ground advocate!

Wow, thanks for the insight Jennifer, getting an actual scenario on the numbers really help understand which side of the wind is blowing.

I hear you @Kris Bucci but don’t shoot the messenger as I am playing the devils advocate.

They will wait till the situation blows up, rent stops coming, and by then it is too late.

Using VA funding = fixer uppers may not be approved by the VA Firefighter working 72+ hour shifts = not a lot of down time to finish major construction jobsLooking for $350k < Want to purchase ImmediatelyMust be some kind of house hacking situation VA loan for primary residenceMulti Family =< 4 Units I see all these success stories here on BP and it blows my mind! 

People can blow through a 15k rehab budget pretty quickly without even accounting for structural issues or any big system replacements.