@Ashley Wolfe  Hi Ashley -- we have a fairly welly booked STR in Wimberley in the hill country and we find that most people don't look PAST the next vacation in front of their nose. 

Our experience so far has been that the highly recommended and fair contractors are booked through the end of the year (2019) and the "larger name" kitchen & bath companies are charging 40-50% higher than other estimates.Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! 

So, them asking for their own appraisal is fair game.

@Sean McGrattan I’ve read my fair share of books on the subject.

And, the reason you made the post is apparent to me now - you think the key is the sponsor.Back to the drawing board :)Fair enough Ben, we can disagree on this point and it's still 100% possible for both of us to be successful. 

You want to be sure you are in compliance with all local and federal fair housing laws.

I'm fairly new to flipping. 

The future is fairly unpredictable, so be careful. 

There are 2 bed 1 bath units, the units have large living room with fire places (not working) and there are also large dining rooms and fairly spacious kitchens.

But Randy Richter is an excellent realtor who has helped us purchase our rental houses in Cedar Rapids.The rental inspections are fairly thorough, but not unreasonably picky in my experience.