White with black trim/ accents is what we are seeing on a lot of the flips around here lately.

My current situation - I have a FICO of ~630 (no late payments or derogatory marks, just credit card debt from school). 

It’s never too late to start learning and becoming more strategic.

One great example is framing crew comes in....frames up the house, plumbing and electrical crew comes in and does their thing....leaves all their 1/2 finished cokes, Gatorade and beer cans and 1/2 eaten lunches sitting on the framing.   

My calculated cap rate is 4.73%.I just finished a full foundation up remodel on our primary residence, we owe $1.22m at 4.25% on a 30 year on the mortgage and have a private construction loan with a balance of 490k at 5% on a 20 year.  

My north side chicago units have run at under 3% vacancy and never had to give even a late payment.

The baseline now in Denver is having a hot tub, game room/area, house theme, high end finishes, professional photography, etc.

You didn't specifically mention this but I just finished Start with Strategy by Dave Meyer a couple weeks ago and while it's a great book for anyone at any point in their investing journey, I WISH I had read that earlier because it's so helpful.

@Tom Harkins- I am quite late in asking this, but what were some of the pitfalls or perhaps disadvantages in dealing with a claim yourself?

Many Martis buyers are interested in form over function and the builds can reflect that, with more $ spent on adding square footage and finishes than the details that aren't seen (insulation, ventilation, water management, etc).