That will bleed you to death.There is a reason there is so many low end crap houses avabliable because landlords FAIL everyday of the week. and those that promulgate these areas are FAR WORSE THAN ANY GURU THAT IS vilified on this site.Ok so maybe I have a strong opinion on this but it is the other side of the coin that no one On BP ever talks about or if they do its all soft balls...

The market in the area is very soft.  

Technically there is not supposed to be any "pitching" but just like anything else there are ways of "soft pitching" and being that people in this business want to make money, that's what I expect to some extent.....nothing out of the norm there.

Also make sure it is hard wood and not soft.

It doesn't start with a vowel or a soft h).

Karen, What is your average cost per ft2 on these type of stores for soft, cost horizontal (assuming flat) and vertical?

Learn what you can about the property, the occupancy status, any illegal activity, floods, building departments, etc.you'll potentially have several categories of expenses: demolition, soft costs like permits, hard costs like the replacement structure, and any commissions associated with the liquidation of the completed project.There are many more people on BP better qualified to help and advise you.

It doesn't include the lot.The lot costs will have hard and soft costs, engineering and support work, admin, financing are soft costs, hard costs are moving dirt, laying lines, setting poles, paving, improvement made.

What you can save on can be soft costs, engineering reports, appraisals, title and mortgage insurance, bonding requirements and other related loan fees. :)

Kind of a "speak softly but carry a big stick" mentality.