The roof, master shower, and carpets throughout need replaced, and although the property is structurally in good shape and the AC\HEAT is in good condition, the house has never been updated to today's modern look.I want to walk away with 40,000 in cash but I am afraid that after the projected closing costs of $13000 that include the realtors $9600 commission I wont get the $40,000 because it needs a roof, shower, and carpet.   

SEO is one way to go but there are several other options to drive traffic to your website including Pay Per Click, Facebook ads, Craigslist, email lists etc...

There were many issues including some non permitted rooms that had been put in by the previous tenants (a business). 

Your local Realtor association probably offers classroom-style training included with your annual dues.#2 Most lessons come from actually doing business i.e. transactions.

I just sent you an email including the link.

That includes any real estate holdings.  

Factors include: neighborhood, size, amenities, school districts, age of home, SF, number of beds/baths, and all kinds of other features that may be unique to your area (pools in Florida, for example). 

I continue to include the return address.  

You should be paying him in draws as the work is done, materials and labor included.  

I like using rentometer and craigslist to gauge averages in a specific area - craigslist is a good resource as people generally include photos so you can see what kind of quality the unit is.