The issue is cost.

It was the best solution but it did cost extra. 

Closing CostsMake sure you also budget for closing costs, which are a collection of fees and payments made to the various parties involved in your transaction.

Does the cost per sqft account for electric and plumbing? 

A couple years later, repairs, vacancy and turnover costs and you've actually lost money every month and you've decided to sell and buy in a more desirable area, but the property hasn't appreaciated, you have to fix it up to sell and incur transactional costs and you lose even more money. 

We got started, but they hired an appraiser and charged me $750, while typically appraisal costs around $500.

Here is an example of what it costs you to avoid professional advice.

To manage upfront costs on fix-and-flip projects, many investors use a combination of strategies.

@Jason Tucker  you need to add in your utilities, common area cleaning, and turnover costs to determine if it makes sense. 

Based on my experience of running properties, even if the build were to cost you as much as $600k but you could generate $125k/year, you'd be very happy with that investment.