As a former federal contractor, my husband knows professionals in almost every trade. 

Subs are used to working on a busy site but some trades don't mix well and while it may be efficient for you it's not efficient for them. 

Many companies are trading outrageously high due to potential earnings that may never materialize.

I've been considering leaving the trades for a while.   

It depends on labor costs and availability of the various trades in your area, but in LA, retail price to hire a general contractor to do that project would probably be about $250/sqft for the new structure and $100/sqft to remodel the existing structure (down to the studs), plus finishes, fixtures, landscaping and hardscaping.

Think E*Trade with different paperwork capable of investing in real estate, etc. 

Consequently, particular properties have more "value" (quotes used intentionally) to me than others.  

@Kurt Kline Like a lot of people are stating above ^^, their are multiple ways to save up for your first deal. yes there are less aggressive ways to save (online savings, MMA accounts, ETF's) or more aggressive (crowd-fund platforms, private money lending, day trading).

Management would "push" loan originators on those groups by paying bonuses for crappy loans, and in turn it could be the case that the CRA nudged them in that direction.One interesting, and positive, consequence of the Great Recession was the Loan Originator Compensation rule.

So really there's no point in griping about low refi appraisals if the trade-off is all the at-value purchase appraisals that let us close real deals.