A bucket in the yard works but express that they cannot leave a mess in any nice finished lawn or driveway/sidewalk areas.Level 3 is fairly standard, so it might be worth confirming this is what they are quoting.Prime and paint is straight forward.

@Sam MillerFollowing are the similarities and differences between the solo 401k and the self-directed IRA.The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k SimilaritiesBoth were created by congress for individuals to save for retirement;Both may be invested in alternative investments such as real estate, precious metals tax liens, promissory notes, private company shares, and stocks and mutual funds, to name a few;Both allow for Roth contributions;Both are subject to prohibited transaction rules;Both are subject to federal taxes at time of distribution;Both allow for checkbook control for placing alternative investments;Both may be invested in annuities;Both are protected from creditors;Both allow for nondeductible contributions; andBoth are prohibited from investing in assets listed under I.R.C. 408(m).The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k DifferencesIn order to open a solo 401k, self-employment, whether on a part-time or full-time basis, is required;To open a self-directed IRA, self-employment income is not required;In order to gain IRA checkbook control over the self-directed IRA funds, a limited liability company (Checkbook IRA) must be utilized;The solo 401k allows for checkbook control from the onset;The solo 401k allows for personal loan known as a solo 401k loan;It is prohibited to borrow from your IRA;The Solo 401k may be invested in life insurance;The self-directed IRA may not be invested in life insurance;The solo 401k allow for high contribution amounts (for 2016, the solo 401k contribution limit is $53,000, whereas the self-directed IRA contribution limit is $5,500);The solo 401k business owner can serve as trustee of the solo 401k;The self-directed IRA participant/owner may not serve as trustee or custodian of her IRA; instead, a trust company or bank institution is required;When distributions commence from the solo 401k a mandatory 20% of federal taxes must be withheld from each distribution and submitted electronically to the IRS by the 15th of the month following the date of each distribution;Rollovers and/or transfers from IRAs or qualified plans (e.g., former employer 401k) to a solo 401k are not reported on Form 5498, but rather on Form 5500-EZ, but only if the air market value of the solo 401k exceeds $250K as of the end of the plan year (generally 12/31);When funds are rolled over or transferred from an IRA or 401k to a self-directed IRA, the amount deposited into the self-directed IRA is reported on Form 5498 by the receiving self-directed IRA custodian by May of the year following the rollover/transfer.Rollovers (provided the 60 day rollover window is satisfied) from an IRA to a Solo 401k or self-directed IRA are reported on lines 15a and 15b of Form 1040;Pre-tax IRA contributions on reported on line 32 of Form 1040;Pre-tax solo 401k contributions are reported on line 28 of Form 1040;Roth solo 401k funds are subject to RMDs;A Roth 401k may be transferred to a Roth IRA (Note that from a planning perspective, it may be advantageous to transfer Roth Solo 401k funds to a Roth IRA before turning age 70 ½ in order to escape the Roth RMD requirement applicable to Roth 401k contributions including Roth Solo 401k contributions and earnings.)

The best coverage you can get for a vacant home in such a condition would be a DP1 policy which provides you with the most basic form of insurance coverage.

I work for a mortgage firm as an insurance analyst reviewing the coverage of each property/location.

I agree with the rest..... this is a business..... the bank is going to want their $$.... the insurance company will still expect to get paid....and the state will want their taxes....so you should still expect to get paid.

I currently work at a top 5 mortgage firm for multi-family homes in Manhattan as an insurance analyst.

Either way, I would be looking to have the rent at least cover the mortgage payments, allowing me to save up for my next buy and hold (of course after paying for taxes/insurance/ repairs etc.)

You also need to account for the mortgage, insurance, taxes, CapEx, maintenance, vacancy, and if using a property manager, the property manager fees to make sure you have positive cashflow and at the amount you are seeking.

Could you re set the house to normal standards for 2 family code and maybe just rent it out to someone trustworthy.

I know that <5,000 sqft you do not)Legal: $3,500Other: $16,000 (Budget for unforeseen issues)Tap & Capacity Fees: $27,515 Building Permit Cost: $2,391.17 (estimated $706K total costs)Site Plan Review: $224.64 ($100 + $.015 p/ sqft)Wastewater Capacity Fee: $750 per unit x 8 = $6,000Water Capacity Fee: $750 per unit x 8 = $6,000Meters: $300 per x 8 = $2,400Water Tap Fees & Install: $300 per unit + 900 installation = $2,400 +900 = $3,300Wastewater Tap Fees & Install: $300 per unit + 800 installation = $3,200Facilities Tax: $4,000 - ($500 * 8 units, I am assuming this will change as I haven't asked solid numbers )Total Development Costs: $783,785 (8 units costing $94, 848 each, which I think is high)Proforma CF $ - Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Income   Rental Income (Increase 2.5%/yr) 2.50% $ 79,200.00 $ 81,180.00 $ 83,209.50 $ 85,289.74 $ 87,421.98 $ 89,607.53 $ 91,847.72 $ 94,143.91 Vacancy (10% in Yr1) 5% $ 7,920.00 $ 4,059.00 $ 4,160.48 $ 4,264.49 $ 4,371.10 $ 4,480.38 $ 4,592.39 $ 4,707.20 Gross Income $ - $ 71,280.00 $ 77,121.00 $ 79,049.03 $ 81,025.25 $ 83,050.88 $ 85,127.15 $ 87,255.33 $ 89,436.72                   Expenses                   Real Estate Taxes $ - $ 9,000.00 $ 9,090.00 $ 9,180.90 $ 9,272.71 $ 9,365.44 $ 9,459.09 $ 9,553.68 $ 9,649.22 Insurance 2.50% $ 3,000.00 $ 3,075 $ 3,152 $ 3,231 $ 3,311 $ 3,394 $ 3,479 $ 3,566 Trash Collection ($250/unit) 1% $ 2,000.00 $ 2,020 $ 2,071 $ 2,122 $ 2,175 $ 2,230 $ 2,285 $ 2,343 Common Utilities 2.11% $ 2,400.00 $ 2,451 $ 2,512 $ 2,575 $ 2,639 $ 2,705 $ 2,773 $ 2,842 Management Fee (10%) 10% $ 7,920.00 $ 8,712 $ 8,930 $ 9,153 $ 9,382 $ 9,616 $ 9,857 $ 10,103 Repairs/Maintenance 3.00% $ 2,138.40 $ 2,313.63 $ 2,371.47 $ 2,430.76 $ 2,491.53 $ 2,553.81 $ 2,617.66 $ 2,683.10 Turnover/Redecorating 1% $ 2,000.00 $ 2,020 $ 2,071 $ 2,122 $ 2,175 $ 2,230 $ 2,285 $ 2,343 Snow Removal/Parking lot cleaning 2% $ 1,500.00 $ 1,530 $ 1,568 $ 1,607 $ 1,648 $ 1,689 $ 1,731 $ 1,774 Landscaping 2% $ 2,000.00 $ 2,040 $ 2,091 $ 2,143 $ 2,197 $ 2,252 $ 2,308 $ 2,366 Admin Fees 1% $ 1,200.00 $ 1,212 $ 1,242 $ 1,273 $ 1,305 $ 1,338 $ 1,371 $ 1,406 Total Expenses $ - $ 33,158 $ 34,463 $ 35,188 $ 35,930 $ 36,690 $ 37,466 $ 38,261 $ 39,074 Net Operating Income $ - $ 38,122 $ 42,658 $ 43,861 $ 45,095 $ 46,361 $ 47,661 $ 48,994 $ 50,362                 Property Value @ 8 CAP $ - $ 476,520 $ 533,223 $ 548,258 $ 563,686 $ 579,517 $ 595,761 $ 612,428 $ 629,530 Obviously, Once I account for my debt service (DS), say $758,000 @ 5.25% for 240 months ($5,108 p/ month), I am under water.Year 1 NI [$38,122] - DS [$61,296] = -$23,174 = Meaning I cannot do this project.......