My 2 cents is to just find a skip tracing service, and a source to get lists from(taxes owed, code violations, out of state owners etc) this is much more effective and less time consuming.

Definitely NOT slum lord standards, but renovating the house to meet basic safety standards - to code.

Dave is an amazing person, with the added benefit that he is also a real estate investor.

Congratulations. not sure on the floors we have been using real bamboo  and in our other high end home it will be heart of pine.. not familiar with Houzzcabinets were ordered  counter tops were custom concrete though.. house is 4 stories and what makes it special is it will be the last one built that can be that tall in that area they changed the code right after we were permitted Charleston is challenging you need the height to get the sq ft in the house that house is still only 1700 sq ft.. you have to build up out of flood zone in that area so you cant go under and first level has to be parking so now you can only do two floors above garage.. and because the lots were created back when the US was created basically they are all tiny 20 to 30 feet wide 50 to 80 feet deep.. so it going to be interesting going forward.. basically going to be pretty tough to have anything over about 1500 sq ft.

Cost benefit analysis. 203k is FHA so you have MI addl cost but also you only need about 5% roughly to buy it.

To be done properly cost segregation must be done by a qualified construction engineer trained in the tax code as it pertains to depreciation.

Offer them something and see what they would benefit from, in exchange for their time and avice. 

She makes $1000 at her job and over $2000/month as "survivor benefits" (I assume due to her military husband passing away).  

I want to use the money to get it up to code and then rent the bottom unit out, plus fix my credit!

Also, the only benefit of rent hacking is that you may be able to live for free if you get your roommates to cover the entire cost of the lease.