That's a power play. 

Any one of us could give you our two cents on the math of it, but only you can decide if it makes sense based on what your specific goals are. personally, i paid points on my house because my goal was lowest possible monthly payment.

This is where my mistake comes into play.

I have been looking at properties and it seemed like the seller s  based their price on zero percent cash flow for the buyer.

If you do it right, it’s arguably the best market to invest.Purchase: $80k-$130kRent: $1100-$1500 (no rent control in MI)1% rule: .9%-1.4% rule dealsCoc ROI: 4-12%Total ROI: 20-40%Cash flow: $50-$250/door (after all expenses and budgeting for maint, capex, vacancy)Appreciation: 3-10%+ (has been double digit for a decade)Location: C+, B-These numbers are based on the “sweet spot” in Metro Detroit.

To be honest in today’s market I’m not seeing nearly the amount of wiggle room in renegotiating a price based on repairs.

It's adjustable based on size, erring on the side of generosity.

Since you are based in California, do you know of any good CPAs who are geared towards real estate investors ?

Then based on purchase price and escrow I back into how much money I would need to put down to reach my cashflow goal. 

Vrbo and Airbnb do not play around when they see you taking direct bookings from guests who found you through their platforms.