Here is where it get tricky......Some want a fee just to make money, some take a fee that comes off at closing, and some just want to rip you off. 

We ripped out all carpet and replaced with laminate.

A guru will rip you off.  

Some people feel ripped off when a contractor gets job done ahead of schedule like they were over charged for labor.. but that's a foolish way to look at it.

She stated that she went out to our unit that morning (we knew she was going to do a walk through), ripped off the vinyl siding, and found termites!  

It's really old and was not put in by the current owners so I don't believe its an intentional cover up.The inspector says the foundation doesn't make him nervous, but of course that's one person's opinion and people do miss things.Considering having a structural engineer take a look as ripping out the floors in the basement is out of the question.Any thoughts or suggestions?

However, you need to understand the process well before hiring contractors to limit the likelihood of them ripping you off.All of the being said, I too prefer the buy-and-hold multifamily rental property strategy.

@Ayodeji Kuponiyi I am going to give you some slack and not just totally rip into you for this.When you go take photos.  

.,  by pass the water meter ,  rip off your condenser unit.. all quite common in the areas that are high % rentals in the SFR realm. 

Bought a very out of date home for $230k and virtually ripped the house apart and remodeled everything.