My roofer is concerned that the insurance claim can not be approved prior to the closing day.

As I continue to buy and flip houses, I will use this as an advantage to build relationships with roofers, landscape designers, and hopefully many various successful RE professionals. 

Account ClosedYou are going to have $118,000 in basis in the property/land.Since this was done part of the sale of the house - the full amount($118,000) is calculated as part of the basis.However, an alternative way that may have been able to generate you more immediate write off would have been If you acquired the house for $111,000 and paid the roofer in invoices/installments of $2,500 or less.This method may have entitled you to a more immediate write off.

It's a family and the father is a roofer and is even helping with a lot of the repairs.

On the other hand I let the roofer supply all the materials and labor. 

We use that as a baseline and any other items can be added on, and then agreed.Contractor Network: A never ending process of finding competent plumbers, electricians, carpenters, roofers, siders, etc… Hurdles we continue to overcome are finding contractors who actually do the work not just a GC where we are paying overhead and they hire a crew to perform the work needed.

I called a roofer to give me an estimate to replace the roof of the new house, and he asked twice if it I was going to be living in it.

.- Find all trades, negotiate price & timelines (Roofer, Painter, plumbers, electricians, etc)- Find a Architect, negotiate price- Find an engineering company- shop price - Find a survey company negative price - Find good realtor that works with investors.

If that's the case, why aren't you arguing that all guns should be illegal, skydiving should be illegal, alcohol consumption should be illegal, driving cars should be illegal, swimming pools should be illegal, airplanes should be illegal, restaurants should be illegal (people die from food poisoning and chocking), being a roofer should be illegal, etc.There are many more deaths from those things above (and a higher probability of dying) than from hookers passing on HIV.Can you explain to me why the tiny health danger posed from prostitution should make it illegal while all the other things in the world that are much more dangerous should still be legal?

What got me thinking about this is the fact that I am now on my 3rd roofer, not due to being unhappy with the other 2 but because I keep finding a consistently less expensive roofer and switching.