I will keep it on my radar, especially with Columbus and Cincinnati being highlighted as top spots.

Just keep in mind that what you think is unacceptable is irrelevant: it’s a question of what your jurisdiction allows.

I get what you mean.

Commercial brokers will know more becasue they have to... they get the contract and hand it off and the deals i have done there i get inspection addendum's written by the attorneys and boy that is very dysfunctional.. no explanations as they are getting flat fee's and spend zero time doing what needs to be done to keep transactions together the little things the public does not see. but anyway thought provoking.... 100.00 and hour is a pittance to a seasoned agent.. don't see that flying.. but to a mid level or starter who comes from a back ground of getting paid by the hour..

You should be receiving cash whether you show a profit or not but receiving cash doesn't mean you have a profit. 

There's essentially no LTR market as it's in the middle of nowhere and the town is pretty picky about keeping property values up so you don't have a bunch of trailer parks or apartments. 

They are feeling less certain about their job security, their 401k and IRAs are down, costs keep rising, etc.  

We're constantly improving the platform to keep it fresh and up to date.

However, I’m still unsure if I should keep the initial estimate from the contractor even though we are minimizing labor and cost of materials. 

If you're goal is to keep it, you could take a short term personal loan or cash advance with your credit card.