Ping some world class performers in their respective fields, and see how many hours of sleep per night they get ;)

They are asking for a line item, not who will be performing the job.

{When looking at smaller multifamily (i.e <16-20 units) with central heating, the operating costs are likely to run closer to 60%)The 50% "guideline" is a quick, in-your-head, means of performing triage on a property and deciding whether it warrants further examination.  

In my neighborhood there are quite a few recent sales within the last 3 months so I can get fairly accurate comps on Zillow or Redfin.

I gather from your comments that you intend to hold this property, so that "appreciation"(used loosely) won't be realized in a sale price and a 70% refinance (assuming your ARV is close to accurate) won't even get your whole down payment back out of the deal, let alone repair costs.Final thought: If you have to include tax savings and loan pay-down, and exclude PM expenses and reserves to make the numbers look better, it's too thin. 

Having been through the patent process twice, my hat is off to anyone who could face that paperwork 21-times and still be smiling for more.When you say Rent-to-own, is it safe to presume you are working with a lease and separate option to purchase and have not tied the performance of one with the other?

Obviously you wouldn't be able to get accurate market analysis to make comparisons, especially if the samples are completely fictitious, but some general reference points should be enough to make an educated decision on whether a deal is feasible or not. 

Even their investors are graded based on criteria and performance track record.

Nothing wrong with getting a general idea by using Zillow for what sold/for sale, but the Zestimate is not accurate.

What advice would you give to someone who lives in Silicon Valley in the Bay Area when it comes to performing market research and selecting zip codes to search for deals?