Naturally, I spoke with my network, letting them know that I was pursuing my RE Estate license.

I own/operate a family owned residential and light commercial contracting business.

This will help you get a better idea of what tile, hardwood, carpet, plumbing fixtures and light fixtures costs for your rehabs.#3 Contact Local Contractors for Labor PricingCall local Subcontractors and get budget pricing for common repairs on your typical rehab project.For example, call a roofer and ask what their average cost per Square of Architectural Asphalt Shingle Roofing would be on a 1,500 sf house, with a 6/12 pitch.Note: Some contractors will be reluctant to share pricing without seeing the property, but tell them you are just looking for a rough budget number you can use on future projects.#4 Compile Your Prices into a Spreadsheet or Estimating SoftwareOnce you start to get a better understanding of Labor and Material costs you will want to store this data into a spreadsheet or software that you can use to help you streamline the estimating process.The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs comes with a spreadsheet that you can use to help you populate your own database of labor pricing and material pricing.

I get the job done and prefer to list my own houses to help ensure the property is presented in the best possible light and moves quickly.

Definitely switches on a couple of light bulbs.

Just wondering if anyone has ever gone through the motions of applying for such a license who could shed some light on the process.

I have a few investors reaching out to me to do business with, but I don’t personally know them and I’m naturally cautious because I want to make sure any deals I do are clean and that I’ll receive my initial deposit and profit in return.

I tend to avoid HOA rental properties altogether because of the convoluted nature of predicting the HOA's behavior and being able to perform due diligence to do so.

That's the nature of property management.  

I made a left at light once I put address in my GPS.