Also, if you have a 401k you can borrow up to 50% of it's value from yourself, pay yourself the interest and get a 5 year loan on that while you improve your credit.Another option is doing what's called a 60 day IRA loan.  

Is that based on an appraisal with your improvements factored in?

No solid goals yet, I'm still up in the air with how I want to get started.  

Mostly, these buildings are well maintained and many investors see this as a “value-add” investment opportunity because through renovation and common area improvements, the property can be upgraded to Class A or a Class B+.

A landlord may end up needing to put in $2 per square foot of leased space in improvements to get a space leased.

Once the purchase of the home is closed, renovation funds are held in escrow to pay for pre-determined renovation work done by approved renovation contractors.The purchase of a house that needs repair is often a catch-22 situation, because the bank won't lend the money to buy the house until the repairs are complete, and the repairs can't be done until the house has been purchased.HUD's 203(k) program can help you overcome this obstacle by enabling you to borrow funds for the purchase or refinance of a property plus the cost of making the repairs and improvements in one mortgage.

Its great to see that you dont let your personal circumstances prevent you from trying to improve yourself.

"A rising tide lift all boats" - by supporting others we improve our own situation.My $0.02...David J Dachtera"Success is not a destination.

It's very nerve wracking to think, us as a household that makes roughly 35,000/year will have to pay back 15,000.Originally enacted in 2007, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act allows debt forgiveness of up to $2 million to NOT be considered taxable income if: The house has been used as the principal place of residence for at least two of the previous five years.The debt has been used to buy, build, or make substantial improvements to the home.

If you go in and make a ton of improvements, you may or may not get that money back.