It would help if you studied how your home compares to others and ensured it is priced right.

I currently have to do a quick new market study to quickly filter out a market and it is tedious.I do believe the big names brokers are overpriced.

@Harsh PoshtiThis will be dependent on the area and I would recommend you perform a market study to determine which project would yield better results and if either is even viable.

@Jeremiah Mon education is vital but make sure you take action on the items you study.

Get a no-cost estimate for an engineering-based cost segregation study on every investment property you own over $250K in purchase price.

Studying for and receiving the CCIM designation will be a solid plus.  

For the first part of your question even if you were working with a realtor, I don't personally know many that have a true pulse on rehab costs and I wouldn't make any investment decisions based on their rehab cost projections.My suggestion would be to study how to evaluate the Big 6 rehab costs: roof, siding, windows, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. 

Please study engineering and you’ll have more of a grasp of why measuring amperes (electricity) or volume (water or natural gas) lends itself to reasonable precision.  

Night Before the Exam dot com is a good state study test if they have it for your state.To be clear though, the majority of what you learn in the class is not used by residential real estate agents in practice.

Financing is definitely an area that I will need more study.