I don't mind buying a house that might need roof work, minor plumbing/electrical, drywall and paint.

Now I'm not asking for a hand out I'd be willing to do odd jobs from time to time ( I can do minor electrical work ).

A general contractor will be able to give you a better idea about the house itself, the foundation, the age of the plumbing/electrical, and many other things including, if you are thinking of making any structural changes to the house, whether those changes are feasible or not.Good luck!

Redoing the electrical, or a new roof, the big $15k things, is not recurring in the sense that it would be reasonable to include in a two year average.

Unless you are at the very tippy top of their purchasing power in terms of DTI, that will not be an issue.$100k contract price, 90% LTV loan.Oh noes, appraisal comes in at $97k.95% of $97k is $92.15k.

I call my city (small town, all city-managed utilities) before closing to get the average monthly electric, water, sewer and garbage bills on specific addresses   I just tell them I am interested in purchasing and need to check the average. 

Last summer I worked at a real estate law firm and my interest has skyrocketed as I saw the power that real estate has.

I had called the electric company to set up a service in my name.

Should I just ask my realtor for that information on business fees, maintenance, trash removal, electricity, gas, and water.Thank you for your response it really helped.

I could have kept my single and rented it out, this would have made me eligible to purchase just not with the same power as if I sold.