Was he actually able to look at the space under the shower? 

HI Bradford,Most lenders can do the 203k FHA streamline or full K / standard program or the home style conventional loan program.The problem is most have not done a rehab loan program or have construction experience  or the process on the lending paperwork side.There is quite a bit of paper work such as:- scope of work + revised scope of work or adjustments- consultant review depending on the depth of your construction project and work being done- resume for contractor- certain lenders have requirements for contractor experience such as you cant GC (general contractor) your own project and such- reserves or margin of error in the project such as the 35k streamline 203k loan which only leaves about 28-30k of actual construction cost with the remaining 5-7k for reserves and contingency- only 203k standard FHA can finance your carrying costs (so you dont have to make a mortgage payment during your 6 months of construction)- Home style conventional rehab loan cannot have a project that is more than 50% of the after improved value (meaning your rehab cannot be 250k on a 450k valued project after you finish) youd have to lower your rehab to 225k or less in this example) This is not limited on 203k products- much moreAfter the construction details and process theres the typical financing aspects which include regular FHA or conventional qualification guidelines.The rule of thumb though is to qualify for way more than you need or to do a max purchasing power assessment to see how much borrowing power we have to ensure we have enough room to budget for the 1) purchase, 2) rehab / construction budget, 3) reserves and contingency budget to fit in loan approval criteria.Let me know if you have any questions on what to look out for.

I'm sure it IS nice when it's already in the wash!

My regular bank has informally pre-qualified me but cant give a letter w/o credit pull.

If you want them to visit the house regularly to monitor it, no.You need a Property Manager.

It does seem like a regular rental in that, if you buy correctly and manage correctly, you can profit very well.

In the meantime, I am paying a plumber to regularly blowbag the line to keep it flowing.Any recommendations for next steps would be greatly appreciated.

. $7,000,-Phase 2: Roofing/Exterior Windows and doors. [5 days] Close up external side door between living room and kitchen, patch siding, patch wallReplace windows, replace front entry door, power wash house/deckRestoration of vinyl siding which includes power washing and replace any missing pieces of siding.

I recently just started doing down to Baja recently and am going fairly regularly now.

@Shannon Gauthier when I consulted an attorney for a problem I had, she said to send two copies of a notice to the tenant, one via regular mail, the other with the certified return receipt where you get that green card back if they signed for it.