That sounds like a beautiful mansion or massive money pit to me.

Or is it a pier and beam foundation with concrete/brick/stone footings (piers) and wood (beam) sitting on top of that?  

They have agreed to have our agent show the house, but as they are in the middle of a massive weeding out of possessions, they said they will not be ready to have anyone peruse the place until a month before (mid-March).

I’d rather have a home in NYC or Denver that has economic fundamentals to appreciate massively.

I really need to focus on myself, and take some massive actions

It adds massive credibility and legitimacy to your operation and allows you to give a seller many more options than a low ball cash offer (which cash offers have to be).Good luck!

There are two different subfloors being covered: concrete (300 sq ft) and the remainder (>1200 sq ft) is wood never finished that used to be covered with carpet.

It'd be different if I had a row house building with concrete walls  between each unit but I'm with Steven. 

The good news about the internet and Bigger Pockets is that there is a MASSIVE amount of information about REI. 

I'm 100% open to styro-concrete design, or maybe even hay bale if it made sense.Thanks for your input/feedback, I really appreciate it!