The foundation seems solid with no cracks or settling.

If you decide to invest in these areas I would suggest that you do the same renovation that would be done in a good area, but with a lesser expensive products ( instead of hardwood we use strip vinyl with wood pattern).

The previous owner did a bunch of work to correct these things, however when the code inspector came out he noticed a few small things such as painting, some wood rot, and a retaining wall that needs to be fixed.

I doubt a good agent will allow the seller to accept your offer if you don't have a solid financial status.

If you want solid results then you need to be consistent.

Hi @Kenneth ShultzI can make two solid referrals for an attorney and a CPA. 

You could also go hard money, but just make sure you find rock solid deal with plenty of room since the first one will potentially be hard to estimate rehab costs. 

We took out wood paneling on the walls that had 3 layers of smoke infused wall paper beneath it (really should have just ripped out the drywall...).  

I will only leave you with this to consider ... picking a stock that is about to appreciate but has no history of doing so is different thing entirely than picking a stock that has a long history of appreciation and dividend increases, which is different still than a stock with a solid dividend but absolutely no growth.

It's the agents way of saying that there is something so screwed up with the house that no institutional lender will lend on it, or the seller is motivated primarily by speed.Regardless, you will want an inspection to look for this screwed up thing and solid estimates for repair cost.