Most agents who have been in the business for some time will have worked with numerous contractors and likely have one contractor they refer to clients.

For our area, those Cap's are definitely hard to find, but depending on how you are coming across deals there are numerous ways you can achieve 10-12% cash on cash.

Memphis I have no boots on the ground guy and am afraid of ending up in a warzone after hearing numerous horror stories.  

I have read a few of the Bigger Pockets books and listened to numerous podcasts, and I have had the fortune of working with people who have showed me how they have done their deals.

Except you are missing a few elements in your conclusion:1 - Yes, appreciating equity has value, but it must be looked at in the context of the entire deal. 

There are numerous calculators you can get out there.  

I'm sure someone will want to debate this, but there have been numerous, fully vetted studies that show that FSBO's leave substantial money on the table, by pricing their home wrong, making a negotiation mistake, a contractual mistake, or a hundred plus other mistakes that are easy to make. 

Hi All.I noticed that there are numerous discussions regarding real estate professional and taxes.  

Is the roof not considered a common element?

I actually have been to many meetups and talked with numerous more seasoned investors in many markets (the forums here are a variation of that as well).