Neither outcome is good for you.I give some approximations of each expense category in The Hands-Off Investor, but the best way to nail down operating costs is to look at the property's historical performance.For example, Contract Services and Utilities. 

Lots of investors utilize rentometer.com.

(Banks typically want to see 1 Year+ leases).

Cutting to the meat of the situation, I came across a property that looked like a fixer upper, typical investment grade property.

Investors typically want a steal of a deal, so even 25% off is typically not enough for me to even stop....50% off market value starts to get interesting. 

@Joy McQuearyRecommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

The ideal home price for you will depend on: 1) downpayment size 2) risk appetite, 3) preference for more cash flow or appreciation.Given our price points, our investors need to have 35-45K to start, on average.The typical cash-on-cash return on our properties net of loan payments, insurance, taxes, and property management fees is 6-8%.Ultimately, you can obtain financing from any lender, although we have partner lenders that can provide very competitive rates.

Hey all - I'm new to the RE investing game and have some (probably dumb) questions regarding cash on cash returns. As some background, I'm looking for turnkey or close to it and would be using a management company sin...

Im at a 780 credit score , under 10% utilization, 13-14 positive mix tradelines 0- late payments but I cant get into the 800's and its because my old morgage is no longer showing . 

VA loans are typically meant for individual borrowers, not businesses or entities.