I have a note pad on my iPhone of materials $ and labor $.

The age of the home is not as important as the age of the major components of the home, the roof, plumbing system, electrical system, age of paint and other building materials that may have lead or asbestos, variable expenses can creep up and kill an investment. 

HiYou can say there was leak and you fixed it and send the receipt of material to water company. sometimes they reduce the sewer portion of the  bill, which is usually twice the water bill.ThanksReddy

PLEASE stop promoting the 70% rule.It is a really REALLY srtupid rule.If you come in with your 70% offer, I will beart it by 10s of thousands of dollars.

Some of the techniques that one sees promoted may have worked very well a decade ago and I am sure that people are finding deals with Driving for Dollars, mailers and Bandit Signs but in many markets they are done to death and actually tick sellers / owners off more often than not.

FHA loan, traditional House Hack financing.Earnest money: $10,000Used 3% Realtor Commission to contribute towards FHA down payment; cash due at closing: $1,200Rehab #1 was financed via a HELOC against House Hack #1 (purchased a SFR in Dec 2015)Materials were funded by multiple credit card accounts: a stressful way to do it...Rehab #2 including materials were ultimately reimbursed by HELOC against subject triplex, after Rehab #2 completion How did you add value to the deal?

These types of listings are now getting promoted more, while more average listings (like a regular house or condo) are getting pushed down in search results.

Start networking and digest a lot of educational materials.

any sample materials/ docs that i can leverage to initiate the process to get him out before i need to go the legal route? 

Send me a private Dm, my boss is a contractor in the area, we might be able to help.One caveat I will say is that cost to build is a little higher with materials and delays right now so double-check your budget from your contractor.