Since we are short on time, I'm putting down vinyl planks and will maybe revisit the hardwood at a later date.

Sooner or later you will need that commercial loan anyway.

I think $60 is reasonable for a service call fee, as this not only includes diagnosis, but also shopping for the parts, buying them, coming back a few days later to finish the job, etc.Some places charge less for the service call, but end up taking a 50% mark up on all materials so you end up paying more.When dealing with landlords, when not an emergency and they give me regular business, I often end up just charging the time spend in their buildings at a flat hourly rate plus the parts at list price.

For your FHA-approved Loan Application though, you will NOT be mentioning that you intend fixing it up for the purpose of renting your half out later.

It would be worth your time and the trip to find out now so that it doesn't bite you in the a$$ later.

On that first house, we didn't yet think of holding to rent it out, but if we had, there was L100,000 run up in that little property between the price we SOLD it for and the price at which it was listed when we got orders back to the UK several years later. 

I just paid the County today, for the  property and later I got a call from a friend, that works for a Title Company, saying that he found this lien.

I guess it is a matter of paying taxes now or later.

These days a lender would rather lose the loan, than do the loan with a value that is later found to be false. 

I'm sure it will change later or if those deals dry up.Every other book you read tells you to get 20% under to make your profits going into the deal.