Demographics, income, rent comparison matrix, target customer, etc.I am also curious if anyone uses walk score and how did you find the property?

In comparison, the suburban areas surrounding the city such as Jefferson Parish have largely stayed flat as far as property values go.  

However, I live in a rural area and that skews my price comparisons a lot.That said, I priced replacement fiberglass ones and you could get a tub w/shower surround for about $5-600 bucks from Lowes.  

If you're not working w/ a realtor then check out sites like Redfin to run your own sales comps & Rentometer to run your own rental comparisons.  

The owner of the home we are looking at believes that he should get no lower than $165k (which does not have top of the line additions and based on that comparison alone, the home is way overpriced.

To lump them together in comparison is laughable...it's like saying, "A pound of gold is no different than a pound of salt-- they're both a pound of natural mineral!"

An appraiser would not only utilize the sales comparison approach, they would also look at the income capitalization approach.

In all cases, I now want to hold onto a property for at least 13 months (and possibly longer if the aforementioned criteria continue to be satisfied), so as to obtain favorable long-term capital gains treatment on my investments.By comparison, homes in my area (Boise, ID) don't have the same economic investment appeal as homes in other areas (I currently focus on FL and IN).  

I think the returns look attractive out in Eastern Washington, at least in comparison with the greater Seattle area, and I've spent a lot of time in Spokane (I have close family in Mead.Let's connect the next time I'm there!

i have had glass cut for a window at ACE and they cut it for free and just charge for the glass by the quake foot so for your situation you may end up spending more depending on the cost savings and sheet sizes you get in comparison to your window size... i.e. if you save 30% on the glass price but 35% of the glass is scrap pieced you throw away your better off buying from ACE because they only charge you for what you need...