In my own limited contractor experience, I always figured my time and materials as accurately as possible and then factored a 10% profit margin on top of that.I would think that any software would have to somehow be locally calibrated, because material and labor cost can vary dramatically from region to region.

It protected me moreso than I was with an across the board margin.

As the year winds to a close, mortgage rates have shown a marginal increase with the rise being most apparent in 30-year FRMs and 5/1 Hybrid ARMs.

NOT TOO SHABBY.Had I jumped at any of the marginal deals I've looked at the last 3 years I might not have the time or inclination to go for this package.

-rent price: this is where comparibles come in handy for the area-margin: rent minus monthly costs.

The increase in rates is only marginally higher than the recent lows with a likelihood of a further rise by at least two basis points in the coming week.Thanks and RegardsRob Thomos

After much reading and research, I choose this type of investment for several reasons, not the least of which being it is what I can best afford; vacancies shouldn't be a big problem since its a high rental area; its a low income area, so if I find a sound building, I won't need to spend a lot on improvements to attract tenants (since the tenants wouldn't be able to afford to pay for those rental extras anyway).I'm doing the deal with "no money down-ish" by tapping the equity in my personal residence (HELOC, rate is prime, no margin, 15 year term) for the down payment, and financing the rest at 90% with a conventional 30 yr, 7.75%.

May save you alot of headaches in the head and you'll have more time to spend on other thingsWhat if the margin on a deal is slim and the only way to cut costs and up profits is by taking on some of the work - would you advise against that?

That's because you want to have enough profit margin to make the deal and risk worthwhile, as well as have enough equity for quick exit strategies, such as selling the property for 85% of its value to move it quick in an emergency.Your payments will largely depend upon the price you pay, your credit and the interest rate you're able to receive, the taxes for that specific area and how much your insurance costs.

The 30% equity spread that Jim was outlining will cover all your expenses and profit margin NOT including repairs.