Its just hard to be good when they're chasing margin and keeping OH costs and personnel costs low.

If the credit screening costs $25, then you earn nothing.I believe there are exceptions for a higher fee, but you have to stick to the actual cost of the screening.I would talk to an attorney before charging more than $25 per applicant.

My question is, does anyone have a negotiation equation or strategy to get the price down, considering these costly repairs.

In my opinion, since the tax code is open to interpretation, I interpret as much of my costs as repairs unless something obviously falls into the definition of asset.

They also tend to offer good cash flow relative to their cost, especially in areas with high demand for affordable housing.

Not expecting cash flow, but at least my housing cost would be similar to renting.

How much does it cost to buy down rate per %?

I don't know any builders here, so I am wondering a few things: - Does anyone have a builder that would be interested in doing a single infill project (there is another infill lot going up on the street, might try and connect with them) - I am in between paying for it myself with cash during construction (maybe the home will cost 150-200k to build?)

I BELIEVE this credit would be treated just like covering buyer’s closing costs. 

The biggest challenge is to find one to purchase at a reasonable cost.