And I'm happy to discuss a list of items with them if they don't understand :)

typically when the price is lower then 10k your simply talking about the value of the land because the house is either nearly beyond repair and/or in a very unwanted area or condemned by the city etc.., its not a dollar amount issue, it costs the seller allot more to hold the property/risk associated then the value. you could probably offer a box of chickens and close on the house (seller would probably get the better deal in that situation). lots of houses in my area and many others sell for less then $10k. havent seen one that I would touch  with a 10' stick even if they were free, similar to Detroit, a free house isnt free. in most cases it would be cheaper to buy a 30k house then it would be to buy a 1k house if that makes any sense. 

You could always just charge __% on top of those maintenance items like lawn care.

@Jose Falconett  You have to deal with it one way or another - either part of the purchase price will be put into escrow for the payment of these items or you are absorbing it.  

We would be gaining equity and then use that home as a rental once we decide to move on in 2 years.I'm sure there are other options and items that we are overlooking.

Is there a way I can toss in limited seller finance or other creative items like lease option to improve the appeal and get more interest?

Other big ticket items to consider: Flooring and bathroom/kitchen next.  

This basically means that if there were ever to be a covered claim, they would replace older build items with today's "like kind and quality".  

When the home inspection was done, there were big ticket items that needed work: needs new HVAC, new roof, excavate eroded and leaking sewer made of cast iron, install new sump pump.  

Another item to think about concerning coverage is a replacement policy or value of purchased property value.