@Michael AlbaumHi Michael,In your post you were looking for a reputable cost segregation coWe are a smaller boutique real estate tax engineering firm who specializes in cost seg studies and r&d.You will get one on one help and access to the principal cpa, unlike large impersonal firms.

For one I have my created management software I'm debating whether or not to take public and license out (Key is automation, which is my speciality in software design, that allows very minimal overhead), but at the same time I'd like to take my concept of buying / flipping to rent out to a new level... not sure if it makes sense to go private REIT or what but I'm ready to take what I've designed and built to the next level.  

I would prioritize finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation over one that is local.There are 20+ accountants on this message board who specialize in real estate taxation.

My hunch is that the agent and lender both believe the house has too many health/safety issues in its current state for it to receive a clean appraisal with no conditions called out ... which means, no bank will lend you money for the house until all of those conditions get repaired.So, they are pointing you in the direction of a 203(k) FHA loan - which is a special type of FHA loan for properties like this that need to be rehabbed.  203k loans include the funds for both the purchase and the repairs; however, the repairs have to be completed by a contractor.The contractor needs to go first because their bid is handed over to the appraiser and factored into the appraisal to justify the full loan amount that you'd be getting.Good luck with everything!

Also, working with a broker who specializes in working with investors will benefit you greatly as they will have advanced knowledge of coverage's/products available/relationships with their company representatives.  

Everyone here has been giving good advice, but you keep saying you have this special sauce decoder that lets you know when a tenant is not suitable for you. 

I believe one of the reasons is there is special licensing that is required to lend on primary residences.

For example, smaller apartment buildings (5-30 units) will command a higher cap rate than larger apartment complexes (31 units and up specially 100+ units and up).So if they're in the same area, a 30-unit building might be worth 5% cap but a 100+ unit building might be worth 4% cap. 

Hi Guys, I’m an investor/realtor specializing in the Peterborough area.

If you're open to working remotely there are lots of excellent REI specialized tax pros here on BP.