For now we'll concentrate on building up reserves...my thinking is that fat reserves will provide the same security that a paid off property would give us.

LOLYou have to get them on the TOTAL cost of the total work they are doing.It sounds like the guy was quoting okay on the roof and then making much more profit on the gutters.When you split on him he raised the roof to keep his profit up.My buildings are just standard pitch with 4,800 sq ft 4 plexes.I got the roofs re-shingled for 1,500 a roof and the trash hauled away.You can find contractors that want extra work on the side that will do it for cheap.You have to catch them at the right time.It depends on what you are installing for.A long term hold for yourself,a short term hold where the building needs to be torn down for development in 5 years,a higher end flip.All will dictate what kind of finish you want and cost involved.Roofers typically love the retail jobs with fat profits but in between want the volume from investors.I tell many contractors NO all the time even after I tell them I am an investor and want rock bottom pricing.They tell me they will do it for me but not to tell the other investors what they charge me.This way they get volume from me and referrals and the other investors still get a really good deal but not the pricing I get.

Good thing about building your buyers list up nice and fat is that you may be able to find someone that wants it even though it looked like a non deal.

Originally posted by @Gene Boykin:I'm just getting started in the fix and flip business. 

My fat fingers do more harm than good on this galaxy S5......damn!

The rest I do mostly because otherwise i would just sit around getting bored and fat.

I guess if you have well-informed capable parties on all sides of the deal that understand fully (within disclosure limits) what's going on, god bless them if they can make money doing wholesaling.Just seems wholesalers love playing up the no money and then getting a fat check without any liability that concerns me - Especially if they represent the property as something it's not.

It's kind of discouraging as I thought more investors would be sleeping, enjoying the holidays and getting fat around this time of year.

Plus a nice fat payout from doing it would be nice.

Gene