I have  water damage in one of my properties in MD, and the IA is playing hard ball.

So sorry to hear about your house being completely gone.Get with FEMA as soon as you can and get the balls rolling as well as your private flood insurance.

You are trying to build a portfolio as if you have a crystal ball and already know how each property will operate after they are purchased.

Knowing a ball park figure can help me pick a price I will see if the homeowner will accept because there is alot of needed work)What kind of project planning should I do to make this an efficient project and reduce cost but keep quality?

In the spirit of "I've finally resigned myself to the fact that AppFolio has me by the balls and I'm trying to do everything that we can directly in AppFolio" I'm embarking on a journey to set up inventory management in our shop storage racks and managed in AppFolio.

It takes several years for real estate to add cashflow to your life so I would try and get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. 

There are no secret negotiating tricks, low ball offers with love letters, or highly intelligent investors from afar that can win bids due to awesome use of language. 

I'm just south of you in the Hernando area and would be happy to talk ball with you.

Gut it out until the end of January with this person and either a) play more hard ball about the vehicle and other stuff b) play it softer and just gut it out with them2.

This year, I’m looking to really get the ball rolling with a lot more volume.