Taking a trip to the city will also help you get a lay of the land and what you can expect from the specific market you settle on.

In the markets I watch, now nearly 60% of listings are EXPECTING to pay a commission, but asking the buyer to SET the buyer agent commission amount, and making that part of the offer discussion.

Quote from @Rajagopalarao Paidi: I have not seen any deals with this much spread like rehab+pp/.75, is this still valid and expected, because I have not come across any in this range  Hey Rajagopalaroa--Agreed--I don't use the 75% rule. 

Rank every property you own from worst to best in expected capital expenditures4.

What percentage is fair to pay sellers agent commission and would I be expected to pay buyer agent commission as well?

A project like that will probably take 6 months to 1 year, so what's your expectation for future rents?

@Mattin Hosh first, most cities in Metro Detroit have some type of rental property inspection every 2-3 years.It's not really a big deal 99% of the time - especially for owners who are NOT slumlords:)Also, a quick Google search will show that several states/cities are passing/considering similar legislation.One of the biggest mistakes we see newer investors making is NOT properly understanding Neighborhood/Property/Tenant Classes and naively assuming that any rental they buy will deliver Class A results.Read our copy & paste thoughts below and DM us if you'd like to dicuss more about the Detroit market:)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

However with a long hold I do expect San Diego RE to have outstanding ROI.  

Trying to figure out what I can/should expect to charge for 1)Purchase price; 2) Down payment and; 3) the spread per month if any on what I pay per month.

While I was open to carrying a note, I wasn’t going to go that high.Unfortunately, there’s been an unrealistic expectation set by the gurus that relying on seller financing is a viable strategy for buying a business.