If you ever have any questions or concerns I don’t mind bouncing ideas and advice .

This would only make sense to me if it appraised for significantly higher after your updates (which seems unlikely) so that you could do a cash-out refi or sell within a short period.FWIW, I'm concerned you are using some questionable metrics to judge what makes a good deal:Taxable value going up is bad because taxes then go up. 

A reverse osmosis system (for your drinking water taps only) will take care of the sodium, it's not a huge concern unless you have high blood pressure or on a salt restricted diet.

(Question accidentally posted twice, body of question in other post).

I understand that if you buy a property in cash, rehab it, and then take out a loan against the property, you take more money back out because of the greater value of the property after rehab. Is it not possible to ta...

My only concern is how to get approved for let's say 350k mortgage with only 40k salary, but I guess that's a question for a lender.

Chipping paint is often joked about but it’s a very real concern.

I'm more concerned about you hitting the raw revenue number fast enough to not hit the rocks when the note comes due.

Also, one other concern is the home that he likes has an above-ground pool.

If you are more concerned about overall return or long term wealth creation, San Diego is a great market.