Your capex will depend on the age of major things on the property like HVAC and roof, vacancy will depend on the market.  

We are planning on doing a major remodel this winter during the off-season as the house looks and shows fairly ok but it is not something I would want to spend more than a week in as it needs a remodel badly.

What exactly were you looking for product wise and what rates did they quote you?

Long story short... these issues are one of the major reasons we have a good, professional management company for our properties.

They sell a great product with an under lament on it for $2 to $2.50 a sqft. 

.), you really cannot comp one with the other unless it's the same style.Here are some general tips when comping homes:Never cross any major highways, and try not to cross any major streets if you can.

Construction costs are high right now in most major metros... so if that bid is not current it's most likely off (under) by a significant amount.

Does your chosen major directly translate into money/job you like?

What we are currently having trouble with is that we don't know how to estimate the costs of some major things such as expanding the footprint of the second floor.

I have separate banking accounts for the major cost buckets of my rental business.