He kept up with all of the major things, (plumbing, roof, HVAC, electric (needs new box), etc...) but did not with the little things.

So after searching for homes in Katy and Richmond and made an offer on an older 1983 SFH which ended up having a lot of issues during the inspection (plumbing, electrical, foundation, etc), I decided to go the new construction route and save me the headache.

This includes categories like plumbing, electrical, handyman services, appliance repair, garage door repair, locksmith, tree removal, absolutely anything for the repair and maintenance of a building.  

Most of these properties still have cast iron plumbing and knob & tube or older wiring (which isn't insurable either).I loved the charm of an older home. 

From what I have read I should really be looking at the plumbing and electrical? 

This will help you get a better idea of what tile, hardwood, carpet, plumbing fixtures and light fixtures costs for your rehabs.#3 Contact Local Contractors for Labor PricingCall local Subcontractors and get budget pricing for common repairs on your typical rehab project.For example, call a roofer and ask what their average cost per Square of Architectural Asphalt Shingle Roofing would be on a 1,500 sf house, with a 6/12 pitch.Note: Some contractors will be reluctant to share pricing without seeing the property, but tell them you are just looking for a rough budget number you can use on future projects.#4 Compile Your Prices into a Spreadsheet or Estimating SoftwareOnce you start to get a better understanding of Labor and Material costs you will want to store this data into a spreadsheet or software that you can use to help you streamline the estimating process.The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs comes with a spreadsheet that you can use to help you populate your own database of labor pricing and material pricing.

Turns out, after a little back and forth with the town, the town fees for our circumstance are negligible and the re-plumbing is straightforward, and the ROI and peace-of-mind (with a caveat**) will be excellent.

Purchase price: $73,000 Cash invested: $80,000 Contributors: John Dickinson Single family house we picked up from a wholesaler with newer windows, roof, HVAC, plumbing and it even came with a prepaid insurance system!

The garage was falling in on itself, and we had to take the house down to the studs and run an HVAC system, new electrical, plumbing (even a new sewer line) What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

Mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors will probably be mostly safe stuff.