As long as you know going in that it is for refinance only and don't expect to "cash-out" above the amount of your father's loan, it should be a smooth, straight forward process.

In the past, when I've been unsuccessful getting a neighboring property to properly prune the tree to prevent encroachment onto my property - I'll hire a company to come out and shear everything off straight up about 2 feet into my property (just to be on the safe side, never know exactly where the boundary lies).

If you already own $70k cash of the $100k required on closing day for a property that with some work will definitively appraise for more than $200k, SOMEONE will re-lend you your needed $80k (including rehab) straight away after the initial closing, surely?

Ill give you simple straight forward advice.

For instance, I know property managers, attorneys, and investors in NY can go straight for their broker license if they have the required points and take the required course and test.

I would confirm that the PM costs are a straight 8% and no other fees.

It's online and pretty straight forward.

The approach my investor had was straight talk about the numerous issues he saw, some of which were not mentioned by the GC:  foundation, water damage that may have come from the outside, perhaps from the runoff from the neighboring property, rotted base boards in the corner (water damage) that could mean deeper issues.  

Have your goal in sight, and drive straight for it until you reach it despite obstacles. 4.

I just jumped straight into commercial real estate.