I am calculating it as:20% of (purchase price + repairs +other costs)= 0.2 x ($75,000 + $20,000 + $10,000)= 0.2 x $105,000= $20,000 (rounded to the nearest $5000)I've lost two other deals using this formula, and after that and looking every day for the past 6 months, I'm wondering if I need to reduce my profit goals in order to actually close a deal.

Plus, this past summer MSU decided to blow up a couple dorms, which had the overall impact of reducing student housing by (as I recall) about 1000 units.

The Market~ It's so unpredictable and fortunes could be reduced to nothing overnight.

(occupancy significantly reduced, under planned capex....

I'm a newly minted agent myself and the feeling is a mix of accomplishment and anxiety as I start to implement a lead generation model.I would suggest interviewing multiple brokerages and keep in mind that you are the one evaluating the agency every bit as much as they are evaluating you (read: don't approach it as a job interview where the focus is on selling yourself to an employer).Also, if you're like me, my goal is to become an investor and not just a career agent, so the resources the brokerage can provide you in terms of education, training, mentorship, etc. are more important than a large commission split.

For example original seller only agrees to remain a guarantor for the first 2 years after assumption or they agree to a reduced percentage of responsibility if a default occurs as the years go on down to zero eventually from the start of the loan assumption.

The appraiser who had given the values didn't want to get involved in it.The former owners argued that the banks undersold the properties compared to market value therefore the deficiency should be eliminated or at worst reduced by XX percent.

My partners and I are growing a company that combines real estate investing and supporting a non profit foundation with the goal of reducing recidivism rates.

I like the idea of borrowing from your 401K to reduce the loan to get under the 75% LTV so you can refinance at a better overall rate. 

They reduced to 174,900.