I'm a contractor,& have worked with Realtors extensively.have your Realtor ask around the office for someone that does repairs/inspection punch list items, they will be able to clean up that mess for you at a MUCH lower priceYou most likely won't have black mold, but Dawn dish washing soap will cleanse everything of mold"Home inspectors will verify"secondly, after all the moisture,& suspected mold has been cleaned/dried, you can simply use good sealer/primer on wood,& concreteI would guestimate around $3,000-$6000 for the entire job including hardwoodsMake sure you block any air intrusions in the crawlspace areas, Colorado can be hard on water lines :O}

Sure, take 10,000 homes bought by investors, and do regression analysis that gives me an indication of variables that are common, like geographic area, home value, home owner's age, income level, political persuasion, gender, ethnicity, or anything else!

If all you're looking for in a RE license is access to the MLS and to lower your transaction costs, it seems way better to just do a deal than to go through the whole licensing process.  

Even with a lower price, the incentive of all cash with no loan required and usually a quick closing, is hard for a seller to pass on.  

I was also able to negotiate lower rates with the contractors we did use to re-wire and re-plumb the house because I did most of the grunt work.

I've got excellent credit at the moment and a job with six figure income (however much lower after taxes/student loans/primary mortgage), would this help gain what I want with a lender?

If the ROI is lower, can you put less down on the loan to increase it?

Another thing to consider is that whoever you use will typically be based on the house and level of rehab.

That really depends on your comfort level.

John Anderson So if the seller's contractor comes back with a lower bid than the OP's contractor that means the OP is caught in a lie??????