They offered a lot but still much lower than what I told them.  

The low end was a little lower a few years ago, but the government changed regulations regarding more efficient water heaters in 2015, resulting in higher prices for water heaters.

What is the monthly rent you can expect to collect and do you have the ability to refinance to a lower interest loan rather than rely on the higher interest alternative lender who financed the construction? 

These rules, which include a requirement that sellers set aside a portion of the purchase price for buyer-agent commissions, prohibitions on modifying the commission, and permission to filter listings by commission, all enable NAR, its co-defendants, and its members to maintain buyer-agent commissions at supra-competitive levels unrelated to brokers’ experience or the services provided, steer home buyers away from lower commission homes, and drive out discounters—among other harms."

It's a MIL apartment down in the lower quarter.  

FYI we've changed our approach entirely and have lower fee initial entry points to avoid the challenges of long term project based arrangements so we can catch issues much sooner.

Has anyone had a way to lower this cost? 

This could help offset some of the high construction costs and enable you to offer lower rents to tenants.2.Consider mixed-use development: Instead of solely building apartment buildings, you could also consider incorporating commercial spaces such as retail stores or offices into the development.

However, Florida generally has lower property taxes, which could be a factor to consider.While you mentioned your interest in multi-unit investments with seller financing, it's important to keep in mind that this can be a complex area.

I'd run your number with lower rent amounts for those two units.