I've seen estimates that are off by 300% when all said and done (e.g. the original bid was $10k but the final cost was closer to $30k).

We have data to look back to for direction on our path forward, do we not? 

But now things are working more smoothly and after finalizing the accounting for last year, I have a better idea as to what kind of profit to expect.  

We see it all the time with the conversations on what cars/vehicles folks drive :) here in BP there is a badge of honor to drive a 20 year old 250k mile car/truck :) Myself I saw my dad do some of this although he never got to the utra wealthy stage by a long shot but made good money in RE however it was not until he bought old style timeshare in Maui that he would finally take a vacation..

They do minimal at best verification of the data the applicant provides.

Another option could be exporting your data to a spreadsheet for manual adjustments.

I am wondering how much expected weather of an area impacts your decision to invest in a specific area.Recently looked at Census data which shows that people are predominantly moving to Florida and Texas.

@Dave Meyer always cover this almost every month.Below are few episodes and resources to help you narrow down your options and finally start your investing.I recommend you pick the market that aligns with you real estate investing goals, your risk appetite and personality.https://www.biggerpockets.com/resources/real-estate-101/wher...https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/best-real-estate-markets-...https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/most-affordable-housing-m...All the best and keep up posted.

Census Bureau data to measure changes in remote work across 109 metro areas between 2014 and 2023.

By 2030, we want to have grown a portfolio of over 100 units, created a property management company that manages an additional 100-200 units, and, finally (and most importantly), we will have established a non-profit that is focused on quality, affordable housing that specializes in providing housing and resources at/on the "services cliff" alongside financial counseling and first-time home buyer education in our target area.Our target area is the Springfield, MA and Hartford, CT areas with dreams to expand to Central Massachusetts (Worcester, MA), Southern New Hampshire (Nashua, NH), and Southern Connecticut (New Haven, CT).Would love to meet up with likeminded individuals in our area!