TSP walls, prime with killz (they actually have a water based product now called Restorer that I’ll be trying soon, so much nicer than oil based and my friend who owns a restoration co suggested it), paint.

What's the best type of loan product for this, to have a low monthly payback?

I think D4D isn't very productive from my experience other then if there's a property you're already interested in, or like you said getting to know neighborhoods, but again this can be accomplished once you have a potential deal to go look at.2.

If you are planning on leaving the floor in for a while, do some research with people who sell the products about the newer color tones.  

(A) (1) A LOCAL AGENCY MAY, BY ORDINANCE, PROVIDE FOR THE CREATION OF ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS IN SINGLE-FAMILY AND MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL ZONES.

Your loan officer will help you find the right product for you!

You don't want to be stuck in a variable rate product long-term.Or... depending on what your current rate is, do both (refinance into a lower rate and then put a HELOC on top). 

Especially with more fiscal stimulus, as opposed to just pure monetary stimulus, the inflation will hit consumer prices much harder and because of global reduction in production we have a deadly combination of trillions of dollars flooding the currency and fewer goods to purchase.

We're seeing the margins start to widen, and some more product with the Fed tapering but all the pricing hasn't adjusted just yet.

Unless you are an all cash, no contingency buyer, no agents going to go preview a bunch of properties for an out of state buyer who is making weak offers. 4% concession, also signals this is an FHA loan, which is one of the weakest loan products available....you need to be making aggressive offers to overcome being disadvantaged against cash buyers, which already happened to you, and against conventional loan buyers.