But I am excited to try my skills at negotiating and see what happens.

Your best bet in a case like that is probably something in a reasonable area that needs a lot of work wherein you can substitute your sweat equity for cash, assuming you have experience/skills in rehab. 

Looking for an "odd jobs" kinda guy to do yard cleanups, minor repairs, some masonry work, and mostly un-skilled labor. 

Don't lose this opportunity to learn or improve YOUR pitching skills and strategies for immediate improvement.                             

Another thing to keep in mind is that skilled contractors should be spending more time on the job as John mentioned and not at Home Depot each looking for materials they should already have after doing a good assessment on the job scope.I don't necessarily suggest paying top dollar for extremely high end work in a low end area, I just don't think it is smart to go out of our way to underpay.

You've managed through your superior negotiating skills to get it under contract for $200K.  

I've been doing this for a long time, but always looking to improve my skills and game plan! 

The two good things that came out of my marriage are my children, and skills I've learned from my x.

You first need to determine what you can contribute: cash, good credit, management skills, financial skills, knowledge, etc. 

With your background in accounting and a father who is a contractor it sounds like you have some good skills starting out.