1st property,Initiating construction work and inquiring as too specific questions too ask potential contractors I’m interviewing for hire... please assist I.

I guess if the assistant was there to just break the ice and tell the decision maker they will be contacted by you shortly, that is another story. 

Our virtual assistant team helps us market our properties via email and FB.

Here's the specifics on the property and financials:- 7,000+ square ft, 5 bed, 4/2 bath on 3 acres with a pool- Purchased for $970k, ~$750k rehab budget (actual spend went over) and ARV of $2.56M- Listed for $2.4m, with a neighbor listed at $3M and 5+ comps between $2.3M-$2.7M- Current list is $1.9m.The last 2 years, we've seen homes comparable to ours moving within 10 days on the market, yet all comps are sitting tight at their original list prices with nothing going under contract. 

Don't spend money just to get a tax deduction.

bridge loan will defeat the purpose UNLESS you have a smokin deal and its worth spending 5 to 10k from a guy like me to bridge you ..

But more than I wanted to spend.

If it's not at least $50,000, you will have a hard time even finding a private lender that would want to spend the time and take a look. 

It is very common to spend 100K on a rehab in Newark because often there is TONS of maintenance, and things like water damage can lead to major structural and framing issues that need to be addressed, original wiring (which is often unsafe), galvanized plumbing pipes, old windows, heat systems, ect.

Do you spend the money on a house meter, get a sub meter installed?