Currently they have average finishings for the area.I have an idea on the rents but would like to hear what other people are currently renting their units for.

Most people wont go that extra step.Oh, and by the way, don't send beautiful well designed post cards.

Verifying whether people are legitimate owners of real estate?  

Just keep in mind that the people here are human, make mistakes, and do things "their way," and you should always do your own diligence on whatever questions you ask.

@Travis AndresIf you do not have other assets to secure against - your best bet would be a private lender willing to take risk of essentially providing an unsecured loan.There are people out there that do this - expect very high interest rates.

In addition to the workmanship, you want to work with someone who is good at managing time, people and his relationship with you, his client :-)    We are actually building out a network of approved contractors because one of the biggest pain points investors and landlords face in Philly is finding reliable solutions. 

Well besides the hard costs (construction, materials) and soft costs (permitting, architecture, fees, engineering) people often forget holding costs. 

I offer listing price and a bunch of people swooped in and bid up the price, so I checked out. 

More people are off, but will they be busy and the listing get lost in the sauce of festivities?

Maybe a bark collar would work, although I have admit some people think they're mean.