I guess they found more cuts than they would have admitted were feasible a few years earlier.

If it were me and I didn't have the equity to make it a viable  investment I'd sell the property, cut my losses, and invest the money elsewhere.

Finding a sawmill to cut the log to the right dimensions will be a challenge .  

Your broker will get a cut of each deal you do.  

A temp solution is a sewer tape that looks like a ribbon of steel,,,,poked thru trouble area and rotated so the sharp edge of the ribbon cuts the gunk off the walls as it snaps over in the rotation. 

In a large city, people are cut throat and motivated, by greed.

Wouldnt you be excited to get a cut on net profit cut gaining your first real experience in the market 7 months before you possible could on your own, using 100% OPM?

In my experience, telling them up front all of your criteria will cut down on the number of applicants, so you'll get less calls, showings, and applications submitted as people weed themselves out.

If they see you are cutting it close, they could be more flexible with the terms... or they might not want to be in the deal period.  

Anyone who has ever cut PVC pipe with a saw can attest to this (the shavings cling to the pipe like crazy).