Good for you!!!!! I'm glad you fired everyone. Some people in banks,etc. just don't want to finance a house in bad shape because banks just don't like ending up owning houses. They're in the banking business--not the real estate business.
What's up with the agent? Why didn't she want to show you any more foreclosures???? Sounds like a lazy agent. She wants the easy commission.
When I was buying rental property, I went to the bank and sat down with the lending officer and had a nice conversation with him because they did not want to sell me this house that they owned. You might be surprised how willing a bank may be, if they feel comfortable with your level of commitment to remodel the house in question. They get a feeling from you as to how forthcoming you are and committed to hard work to turn the house around. By the time I was done talking with the loan officer, he gave me a COMMERCIAL LOAN on a RENTAL house!!!!!! This is just NEVER done!!! And on a house they AT FIRST did not want to sell to me. I was shocked. I turned that house into a very pretty little place that the bank never got back again under another foreclosure. So ask to talk with the loan officer--don't take "no" as a final answer, so easily.