I'd spend more time investigating properties in the West side, North Buffalo area, and parts of the Amherst area.The housing market is on fire right now, so the area's I've mentioned will come with a premium, however the ROI in these area's are much more attractive.

I determine that investing in private mortgages carry a 3% risk premium.  

I got a letter from my insurance company saying I needed to re-paint my house (wood siding) and then got another letter from the tax assessor saying my assessed value had increased by 30%. 

In the US, it's 20%, or you have to pay an insurance premium which can be hundreds of dollars per month.

Do upscale homes use some sort of upgraded wood or other material for modern cabinets?

Study the flips and see what changes in each flips seems to bring a premium.  

Title companies we've talked with range from 3-7 years and a premium of 10% of purchase price.

Whitson Gordon (non BP Member)Pros: Basic is free with 60 MB of new uploads per month and sync across 2 devices Cons:Not designed for real estate Cost: $34.99 for Plus with 1 GB of new uploads per month with synch across all devices $69.99 for Premium with 10 GB of new uploads per month with synch across all devices and more featuresTrello - A Trello board is basically a web page containing lists laid out horizontally on the page so you can get a bird's eye view of your project.

The guys come with all the electrical tools and start to deliver the build material.During the rehab we had all outside cleaned up, trees trimmed, painted inside and outside, new laminated floors, painted the cabinets, replace countertops from wood to granite, new vanishes, new bathtub, replace all the doors and windows, new ceiling fans, and we removed the garage wall growing the living room area, changed the access to the roof, full service in the Hvac, etc.

Whitson Gordon (non BP Member)Pros: Basic is free with 60 MB of new uploads per month and sync across 2 devices Cons:Not designed for real estate Cost: $34.99 for Plus with 1 GB of new uploads per month with synch across all devices $69.99 for Premium with 10 GB of new uploads per month with synch across all devices and more featuresTrello - A Trello board is basically a web page containing lists laid out horizontally on the page so you can get a bird's eye view of your project.