@Justina SirohmanHave multiple contractors bid a property for you and this will give you an idea of how much things cost. 

Hello, I’m looking to buy a property at auction but need help with title searches on the properties that I’m interested in bidding on.

Get bids for what the renovation will cost and determine how you will pay for it if you decide to move forward.Additional questions to consider:  do you know what your unit will rent for?

You worry about your bid.

-Charlie I have seen investors finding reliable contractors checking out and getting bids on Thumbtack

I want to show you how I was able to put 0% down on a house hack/live-in flip in the Boston metro area…not to toot my own horn, but because I believe that ANYONE can create a good deal when buying a house hack.Deal Backstory: Driving for Dollars, “Farming” and ReferralsFor the past few months, my wife and I have been putting in offers around the Boston metro area only to lose bidding wars with people paying $50k to $100k over asking.

Did a duplex, bought with FHA 203(k) - which allows repair costs to be included in purchase mortgage.Wasn't easy, as had to get bids from licensed contractors, even though I planned to do most everything myself.Worked out well, refinanced out of the FHA into NOO loan and then bought another duplex with FHA and hacked that one.

Pay for a home inspection and cross reference your bid with that.

We are 5 bids in and not sure we're ready to pull the trigger with anybody.

With so little inventory and bid wars , and hundreds of showings of each property to some fake buyer who never intends to buy house, I don't think Erics in this game are in any particular disadvantage compared to "licensed" REAs (licensed is in quotation marks,  since a lot of people seem to put too much significance into obtaining it, as if it was a law degree from Ivy League school).