Let me know what sort of contractors you need.  

have they made any sort of payment?

We have 3 rentals that we've fixed up, but this is a much larger project than anything we've done prior.Will the bank consider the value of the land at all - as any sort of collateral against the loan? 

I am curious what sort of things the BP community would put on the signage.  

., I would seriously consider trying to leverage as much as possible - do an IO of some sort - and reap on the positive cash flow.

My strategy has always been to leverage as much as possible at the best rate, which will typically be an ARM of some sort.

As for rentals, your not in the SF or NY market, those are high demand crowded places, where there is a sort of monopoly on the rental market as homes here in CA are outrageously priced.  

Glad I found this thread because I've been kicking around the idea on taking a TSP loan out to help purchase some sort of investment property and just wasn't sure if it was a good idea considering it's my retirement account.

He owns Columbus and is also a landlording guru of sorts.

You would have some sort of leg up in that you can't re-rent the property given the current situation.