I've tried different things here, and I'll continue to adjust.

Ken -I am not familiar with the community adjustments you mention.  

You need to get started and adjust as you become more experienced and see what works for you.

Even in a 1031 exchange it is the adjusted basis that carries over so even though you don't have to pay it, if you have taken some or all of the depreciation, it will follow you into the new property.  

Budgets are done annually and you make adjustments then and then increase fees based on that new budget.  

I believe as you grow your knowledge, your network, and your confidence through executing more deals your risk tolerance may adjust. 

It is not a guessing game, it is more of making educated assumptions and adjusting your strategy to suit the prevailing market conditions.There is more to this property investing business than meets the eye at first and obtaining a good understanding of investment fundamentals first, before investing in anything, is of vital importance.

Obviously i trying to get a rough idea of what they might settle for so as i might adjust an offer. 

Buy the LLC and do a 754 basis adjustment so you can depreciate the difference between the depreciable basis of the assets inside the LLC and what you paid for them.  

I currently work as an independent contractor, and write off just about everything as business expenses, which leaves my adjusted gross income at next to nothing, making it hard to qualify for traditional financing.