Purchase price: $630,000 Cash invested: $120,000 Gutted this property, brand new electrical, furnace, propane, finished basement to create separate unit.New garage with rental unit.

Our office houses realtors, wholesalers, mortgage companies, contractors... 

I would explore the costs with some other contractors are 2/1, 2/2 3/1, and 3/2 SFRs are.

Hey Brian, Generally, a HML org will want to see some diligence around the contractor or get some idea of past work if you're doing the work yourself.

Many OOS investors set themselves up for failure because they don't invest the time to ACTUALLY understand:1) The Class of the NEIGHBORHOOD they are buying in - which is relative to the overall area.2) The Class of the PROPERTY they are buying - which is relative to the overall area.3) The Class of the TENANT POOL the Neighborhood & Property will attract - which is relative to the overall area.4) The Class of the CONTRACTORS that will work on their Property, given the Neighborhood location - which is relative to the overall area.5) The Class of the PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANIES (PMC) that will manage their Property, given the Neighborhood location and the Tenants it will attract - which is relative to the overall area.6) That a Class X NEIGHBORHOOD will have mostly Class X PROPERTIES, which will only attract Class X TENANTS, CONTRACTORS AND PMCs and deliver Class X RESULTS.7) That OOS property Class rankings are often different than the Class ranking of the local market they live.Class A is relatively easy to manage, can even be DIY remote managed from another state.

This is calculated after accounting for all expenses, including taxes, insurance, utilities (water, sewer, garbage, electric, gas), and an allowance for maintenance costs (typically 5% of gross rent, adjustable based on the building's condition), as well as management fees.I invest in the Binghamton, NY area both as an investor and as a realtor.

Hard money is expensive.Some questions to ask yourself to assess risk:Do you have access to a reliable contractor who can complete the work on time and stick within a budget?

You can't lock them out of their room, turn off the electric, or anything like that.  

In a city like Philly, you will face many challenges - you need to learn the market and know the neighborhood and the block and make sure all of your numbers are within reason, you need very reliable contractors, you need a to understand the permit process, you need to be familiar with market expectations. 

.- Now Foreclosures may be a good discount but at the same time I already know that there is aLOT more risk to this.I already have a real estate agent, a mortgage broker, and am getting connections to contractors and so forth.My few Questions are:- Do I need a real estate agent in this process for foreclosures?