Be sure to add "London" to your keywords and you'll get an alert when I post the next BP meet-up.

The inspectors that i've encountered (i've had two inspections on my longest held fourplex and one on my newest) have been very courteous, informative, and straight forward about what they are looking for.  

With BP, set up keyword alerts for the areas you are looking to buy and be ready to move fast if the opportunity arrives. 

I assumed the dig out would be a lot more straight forward but also a lot more labor intensive.

We do not have a way to hide it completely.You can also make an exception to a keyword alert, so you will not receive alerts when that particular member mentions a keyword you are currently watching.

If you have a HML that'll give you very straightforward criteria and say "yes" based on a 1 hour CMA, it's less gray.

If you think that there is no rot in the wood, the windowa are standard size, the connection between the windows and the siding material is straight forward, and you are putting in 15 or less..

While you're at it don't forget to set up keyword alerts for topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts Also check out The Beginner's Guide (http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investing) and BP Podcasts (http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/category/podcast/) are packed full of great info. 

My "assumption" was to get my feet wet with something pretty "straight forward" first, then venture into more creative stuff after getting my "sea legs".

This appears to be a very straightforward issue you are dealing with and a conventional loan will be the cheapest and most financially sound decision.