What was nominally a 52k down payment turned into close to 100k--12k in closing costs, 12k in extra payments, and about 25k in labor to help me get it ready when I realized I couldn't get it all done by myself working evenings in a reasonable amount of time (plus I knew I couldn't do the egress windows myself). 

Class B- midway between Class A and C, school are decent but may or may not be highly ratedClass C - lower purchase prices, schools aren't usually highly rated, higher crime, lower income tenants and homeowners, mix of well maintained and badly maintained yards, streets have run down cars, some homes with boarded up windows, mix of renovated and older homes.

But I was thinking only about the exterior, it did not even dawn on me that your furniture ignites from the radiant heat through the windows!

If you missed the window for completing the repairs, that is on you.

The company is fully vertically integrated; they own a design shop, they have construction crews, they have accountants, etc.

Inside mounts look cleaner and you can still add decorative window dressings.

New drywall, mechanicals, windows, electrical, roof, siding- essentially new from foundation up. 

First you need to learn to separate the following:Maintenance: usually things related to wear & tear or tenant damage.Repairs: usually broken items like doors & windows, caused by tenant or nature.Capital Improvements: usually expensive things that wear out: hot water tanks, furnaces, roofs, etc.The seller is correct that Repairs & Capital Improvement items should not be a factor for awhile (ALWAYS get your own inspection to confirm).

Computers can analyze property based on subjective data (square footage, # of beds/baths, etc.) but cannot calculate for objective data (quality of kitchen cabinets/counters, size of bedrooms and bathrooms, view out the living room window, etc.).You should study the market yourself.

We just discovered a crack in the concrete slab foundation that is a borderline major problem:- It is a vertical crack about 1/8 inch wide that is at least 9ft long, which is causing a 3/4 inch drop in the flooring and some evidence of old (luckily) limited moisture and termite intrusion. - BUT, it also appears old and probably a symptom of the original house settling.