At 3% for me I can't afford to put an ad in the paper, spend time getting it across the MLS and other sites.

Kitchen will be just average with not an idea layout.

We did get recognized in Sunset Magazine's top 20 smaller towns in the West a month or so ago and the local paper was like - Shhh!  

That said, what I usually do is vet enough properties to get viable options on paper (at least 5-6) and then fly out to see them.

I am looking at a property that on paper creates substantial cash flow and the price is right.

Draw (on a piece of paper) a process for accomplishing this. 

Getting a lender that just issued a Clear To Close to switch up and sign a piece of paper that is not a standard boiler plate piece but something drafted up at the last minute may just not be able to happen.

I've seen great cash flowing (C) areas on paper turn into money pits due to prolonged vacancy, crime, and too-often-recurring capex expenses.

I would think that in order to make it a 2 unit again you will need to make repairs/modifications to the layout.

Fortunately, my office is sloppy, papers everywhere, so I gave them a tour, pointing out, no, how could someone live here??