I recently booked a single family home from a reputed builder in Frisco, Texas.

The industry came up with acronyms with standard definitions such as GRM, NOI, COC, IRR, etc... etc. so that all industry participants can be on the same "page" when they communicate.Including Capex in NOI is getting on a different "page" and makes it hard to communicate with others.

To you, I’d ask is there merit in renovating a home to a higher standard to make sure you can garner highest rents?  

Renovate to whatever standards you feel is appropriate.

My learning is based around multifamily apartments as this is my niche of choice and have been learning through David Lindahls books and attempting to put this information into action by researching data on different markets (state, to MSA, to suburb/towns).

I've recently become interested in the Listing side and am looking for recommendations on good practical books/videos/etc to gain of bit insight.  

My standard terms when offering are 5 to 10% down, 5 - 6% interest, 30 year amort, 5 or 7 year balloon.I also disagree with the statement "get the seller the price they want and as long as you're cash flowing on the deal you're ahead of the game".I would personally never pay over the appraised price (you should have it appraised).   

This is because the barrier to entry is low and there is no minimum standard for competence.

The standard Fanny 20% down is not an option; not enough money.Does anyone have any advice on other options we can explore or other ways to work this deal?

Is there a standard format that can be used?