We had to enter in holding costs, holding time (time value of the money), ARVs, rehab costs, a contingency reserve (a little extra to cover unforseen stuff), a reasonable profit margin, etc to get to a "Strike Price" as we call it.

Does that mean you just did the repair for no reason then?

@Kristian Forbes Cool.

Unless youre in a call center like Rocket, nearly every serious MLO role in the industry will be commission only and self-generated files, meaning you eat what you kill; very few reputable places provide leads or base pay. 

Later that evening the same issue happened again...time to call a professional.  

Thank you so much  NAHB conference is a really cool conference if you have never been.

Avoid PMI and then go to a local credit union and get a heloc after closing to gift the money back.Have this as a tool in your tool belt but pursue use of the 3.5% FHA, knowing that you will be at a competitive disadvantage if you are competing with non FHA buyers, then you can call in the favor from your gift person.Just know that if someone gifts you down payment money, your bank will require them to sign a letter stating that it is in fact a gift that doesn’t need to be paid back.

No paper, no postage.

My best recommendation would be to find someone who is doing something similar to what you hope to do in the space and have a coaching call or two.

As @Troy Gandee mentioned use the tax estimator on the County website or call the assessor.