I love my job and plan to stay in it (for now).  

No pictures on the listing but it was right next to the local hospital and I could see prospective renters being young professionals/other good renters.Called the listing agent and set up a viewing for 4 PM and agent sounded very happy that someone was interested in the propertyWhen I went to go see the place it was a complete gut job. the roof was in good shape and the foundation look like brand new block foundation but the rest of the place was completely destroyed.

I'm a contractor,& have worked with Realtors extensively.have your Realtor ask around the office for someone that does repairs/inspection punch list items, they will be able to clean up that mess for you at a MUCH lower priceYou most likely won't have black mold, but Dawn dish washing soap will cleanse everything of mold"Home inspectors will verify"secondly, after all the moisture,& suspected mold has been cleaned/dried, you can simply use good sealer/primer on wood,& concreteI would guestimate around $3,000-$6000 for the entire job including hardwoodsMake sure you block any air intrusions in the crawlspace areas, Colorado can be hard on water lines :O}

I consider myself lucky as I have a very good job as a Superintendent for a high rise residential builder in the Vancouver area.

What a job! 

I just spent an entire day working with individual contractors and picking up supplies, and this is getting harder to do with increasing job responsibilities and planning for a baby next year.

Thats going to improve your chances.

Wherever you're choosing to invest, connect with an agent and have them send you listings so you can get a feel for what is out there and what properties are selling for, both rehabbed and fixer-uppers.Do you have a job?

It was just my wife and I for most of it, and I don't think I'd try to do it again (doing all the work myself while working a full-time job and a part-time job) even with just the two of us.

I've got excellent credit at the moment and a job with six figure income (however much lower after taxes/student loans/primary mortgage), would this help gain what I want with a lender?