Hi Eric,So there are roughly 4 methods to determine the price of a property.

@Henish PulickalInteresting method for sourcing this deal.

When there are few comparables, are their other methods an appraiser will use when estimating value?

Told him to leave ill do it myself.)Bad sill plate on rear corner (contractor)Replace front porch postsBuild backporch stepsDemo barnInstalling concrete footers under home, laying block and shimming to your jacked levelSetting house back down on blocks and reattaching to foundationRemove floor and portions of subfloor in kitchen & back porch and replacement Window repairTemporary power pole (electrician)Electrical service upgrade, outlet replacement and GFCI Install (mix of Electrician and us)Label panels (electrician)All exposed wiring must be protected (basically just replaced all of it)Replace missing light fixtures (new fans throughout)Build wall in living room to convert to 3rdbedroomRe plumb house and pressure test plumbing (plumber)Install smoke detectors hardwired to meet code (electrician)Water Heater electrical line, and core discharge for water heater under house (plumber)Tear out Old ac unit under houseWindow screensWindow locksBackflow prevention valve (plumber)Fart fan ventilation for bathroomApproved Address Number DisplayedFlaking paint abatement interiorClothes Dryer exhaustPaint Untreated woodRemove all debris, Remove old tiresRemove chain link fenceTreat house for black antsPoly floorsMud and paint wallsAppliancesDoors/locks.Roof patch, remove 12x24 section, cut out rot, sister in new beams, put new plywood & shinglesPiles and piles of new electrical wiring (electrician/us)Sand all walls and spray texture ceiling and walls with joint compoundPaint whole house inside and outNew trim everywhere.Sand the every living hell out of the floors (100 hours of labor + help)Gutters and french drainNew mailboxA/c Unit.

Simple things I've done as a homeowner/landlord are flooring, painting, trim work, built a mantel, built and arbor, garbage disposal...Being a handy man are skills you can learn for life and there are a lot of good videos on Youtube. ;)

I have a couple of empty units in So CA (Inland Empire - Riverside and Moreno Valley), and the usual methods of marketing are not working right now for me. 

Different points in the cycle require different methods to succeed.For whatever it's worth, I've been an investor since 2005.

Not all sq ft in a house costs the same.Go to your local building supplier, go up and down the isles, and get actual prices for material for kitchens, cabinets and countertops, floors, paint, basic lumber and trims, plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures. etc...You usually can get estimates on labor from that same source. 

This applies not only to being able to get cash when you need it through HELOC's, hard money lending, investor funding or other methods; but also to making sure you are prepared with the right contacts when opportunities present themselves.

Using it as a buy and hold or using the brrrr strategy with this creative financing method.