@Aja McClanahan - I think you need to get an experienced contractor/architect and maybe a zoning attorney involved. 

There is a cabinet in the hallway that allows for inspection of the plumbing, and after further inspection, the joist that the shower sits on is cut to allow the drain line for the shower to fit.

If you want to get involved in the day to day & make an active business buy a distressed property cash, renovate it & refinance.

You actively participate if you are involved in meaningful management decisions regarding the rental property.I guess you can still have Management in place and still participate but I'd double check with your accountantthx,Chris

It seems as though you could work with the Seller (based on what you said, seems like a good person that wants to do right by everyone involved) to have him/her provide your lease (with the current owner's information substituted for your own) for tenant signatures, set to take effect once the current lease expires.

I feel like other investors are more aware of the market and would therefore just flip the property themselves whereas individuals are more likely to fit the mold of the motivated seller.  

See how it fits in to your life, your goals, your circumstances, your market, the current economics, etc.

Back home, that type of property would involve a lot of rehab and that is not something I am very familiar with.

This seems to fit the definition of Escalation Income. 

The unpaid November rent will be the previous owner's loss, and won't involve you.