Make low ball offers.

But I sure would like to see you, as a new investor, finding that first deal back down the mountain in a nice mid- to lower-priced neighborhood of SFRs in the suburbs.I wouldn't give up on this deal - look for a way to score there, but don't take your eyes of the ball - continue your quest for more traditional types of deals where it will be easier to find eager buyers.

My electricity use this week didn't drastically increase, even with hotter temperatures.

The flipper category doesn't really apply here, so that means you're either going to be a speculator or a landlord.My crystal ball is pretty rusty so I steer clear of speculative investments.You very well could be right and that area is going to appreciate massively in the next couple of years.

An easy rule of thumb (and it is only a rule of thumb not applicable in all cases) in the Houston area is:Houses 10 years old or less $5-10 per sq ft in price to rehab10-20 years old $10-15 per sq ft.20-30 years old $15-20 per sq ft. 30+ years $20 or more This will give you a rough approximation (very rough, but a good ball park for replacing all of the major systems based on life expectancy and updating paint carpet etc...)

It sounds like most agents are weary on putting "low ball" bids for investors and that is part of my concern.

Perhaps your end Buyers will be "flat-footed" (like the hitter facing his first knuckle ball) and a confused Buyer is usually a No-Buyer.Rough time in the 10 year Tbill world.

- so how do I couch a low-ball offer to him in a non-adversarial way?

I plan to walk through with my contractor in the next day or two to get a formal bid written up but we have already been through once to ball park the costs.

Welcome to BiggerPockets Bernie Huckestein.Great to see you jumping back in the game, your experience will shine through once you get the ball rolling again.