I would spend a lot of time looking over costs as the first flip usually will go over budget.

Although I don't currently own my own property, I could assist new investors in managing their new property. 

Any assistance/advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

.#3  Make more or spend less.   

Initially I was looking in a select few areas in Rhode Island because RI Housing offers down payment assistance if you buy in said areas.

Granted those houses were in locations with a higher market potential, which allowed for the spending of money on things like the fireplace.Guess i will just have to open up some walls and see what happens.Thanks for the advice

I would like to be confident in a way forward before spending $750 / per appraisal for them to come back low. 

In spending a few hours on Zillow, I've found a few neighborhoods in Dallas (and some in San Antonio) that meet that criteria.

A surplus could be good because they're spending less or it could be bad because the HOA is neglecting some of the necessities. 

@Ryan Wilkerson If I only had $2k per month in budget, I would spend it on google adwords.