Sarah, I am a small local direct lender in the Houston area.

I have this situation with a small commercial property in northern CA and my realtor partner manages it for us. 

Why do you think purchase contracts are so long and have such small print?

Couple things to consider - small SF houses and condos don't take a lot of time. 

Most in California. our small and medium communities are being left behind bc it takes too much time and energy to get to know every market and the returns the big guys need don’t work in tertiary markets. 

SMall world.Anyway I share your enthusiasm of Charleston by far the best city in the South in my mind.

@Bailey FaitI have a lender that will do a small HELOC on an investment property.

My friend who works at a small bank heard about a house they were trying to get rid of and got me in contact with his boss.

In the future, a) get a super detailed Scope Of Work and ironclad Contract. b) Do not pay more money as a progress payment than the amount of work that has been performed, that way you are never ahead of the Contr or vice versa.Your options (depending on how much he owes you) are Small Claims Court, the State Registrar of Contrs, and possibly the local DAs office or State AG if the amount is higher ($50k ish)Good luck, let us know what happens.

I have been cutting the grass and taking care of small outside items to keep it looking nice and keep the pests down.How can I go about trying to buy this home as an investment property.