I feel you could have charged slightly higher rents then what you estimated, if you upgraded properly.

Now the realtor has only provided a "buyer's estimate" for closing and expects a cashier's check.

I haven't gotten estimates for this house, but I did for an 800 sq. ft. unit a couple years ago and it was about $4K for a basic unit (including installation). 

The condo I did in Ohio was done about 10 years ago and we got a range with controls up front and a refrig that was accessible with ease....a higher toildet, lower bathroom sink and roll in shower...that kind of modifications.I am quite new here and sure would appreciate any ideas or cost estimate that you might know about.Thanks so much....Phil

I'm really good at estimating costs and lousy at predicting times to complete projects.

I'd estimate the ARV would be about $190-200k. 

These surfaces are typically scraped but you could also replace them based on cost estimates. 

For newbies I recommend adding 20% on top of estimated  budget whenever penciling out repair costs.  

The loan officer won't be able to be predetermine and estimate who you hire and the cost for the architect.I would call your loan officer and be crystal clear to fix the situation. 

Hi All,I want to first start out by saying thank you to the many of you that I have had the chance to connect with through Bigger Pockets, both over lunch/coffee and here online.With that being said, over the past two years, my wife and I have virtually eliminated all of our "bad" debt and currently saving capital for our first real estate investment purchase.We have truly been committing ourselves to better understanding the in's and out's through our own research and are getting much closer to finally taking action.I am from San Diego, recently moved to Orange County, and I'm sure as many of you know the entry level capital required for investing in CA is quite high due to the cost of living (I could be completely mistaken as I only know the OC & SD market to an extent).