Columbus has been on fire the past few years with major population growth, strong job creation, and a ton of big companies moving in or expanding like Intel, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Honda, Microsoft, and LG.

the cleanest and lowest barrier to entry is to go get a solid W2 job, if you need to move to an affordable market to do it, go for it, your young, get into an "up an coming area" see if there are any local banks offering "grant loans" or other incentives to purchase and live in certain areas. 

Any up and coming cities in Georgia where job growth, population growth, and increasing steady rental demand seem to be present?

It is sad to see inspectors do this Their job is not just to provide code violations but detailed accounts of everything.

But, these are generally Not Fixers – Most sellers in this situation either:1) Have to sell quickly or2) Don’t have enough equity to cover real estate fees, closing costs and other fees or3) Don’t want to or can’t afford to do repairs and or don’t want to have people traipsing around their house4) Have bought another place and are carrying two mortgages or5) Lost a job or have a medical emergency, etc or6) Are in pre-foreclosure and have to do something quickly or7) Are inherited with a mortgage and can’t make the payment or8) Have a job transfer and need to sell quicklySo, we have the closing expenses and have to give some money to the seller, and start making payments on the loan.

My husband told me to let the realtors do their job, but I don't want the sale of our home up to someone who may not be doing the best job they can. 

., net-7 on verified milestones) in exchange for pricing and priority.Test small jobs first; promote trades to your A-list only after on-time, on-budget performance twice.Standardize to reduce wasteCreate repeatable finish schedules (same trim profile, faucet line, paint palette) so crews work faster and leftovers are reusable.Pre-kit jobs: one delivery per room (box includes all hardware, fixtures, and consumables).Contracting disciplineUse fixed-scope, milestone-based contracts with:Progress draws tied to inspections/photosNo deposit or minimal mobilizationLien waivers at each drawDaily liquidated damages for missed deadlines (after grace period)Written change order policy with price + time impact before work proceeds2) Time: Move Faster to Reduce Carry and RiskFront-load planningWalk the property with all key trades before closing; finalize scope, bids, and schedule ahead of day 1.Pull permits early; choose scopes that avoid structural or major MEP reroutes when timelines matter.Sequencing & overlapSchedule parallel workstreams (e.g., exterior/landscaping while interior demo proceeds).Use a Gantt chart (even a simple spreadsheet) to track trade start/finish, dependencies, and buffers.Daily control15-minute stand-up with GC or project lead each morning (photos + punch list).Two inspections/week: one quality, one progress vs. schedule.Keep critical spares on hand (breakers, valves, GFCIs, common trim, extra boxes of flooring).Tech + templatesSimple tools (Google Drive + shared photo folders, or apps like Buildertrend/Jobber) for scope sheets, punch lists, and photo proof.Use QR codes in rooms linking to the finish schedule for fewer “what goes here?”

People move to a city for a job.

Try to get quotes for the same job as it makes comparisons easier.  

Our go-to cleaner is very efficient, and prices are standard, so it is easy to get estimates to our property owners because we normally know what the job is going to cost!