I am starting at square one in REI, and BP looks like an amazing resource to help get me started off on the right foot! 

Your best bet to putting together a spread sheet you can use over and over is to get quotes from local contractors then make that your data base on a per square foot basis, unit basis or per linear foot.

After you figure out all of those things, now let's look at the property line, in concert with your intentions for the property-- DO you intend to add anything onto the footprint?

Sorry to be so needy but I'm trying to wrap my head around this property and I'm driving myself insane :)Legally this is a 1 story 640 Sq foot 1 bed 1 bath home in Chester County PA.  

Appraisers will look for other multis in similar areas (doesn't have to be the SAME neighborhood, if it is a similar neighborhood) and figure out cost per door, cap rate (looks like you're buying at 6.9), and usually a third method (cost per square foot or cost per bedroom) and then use those three in a weighted average (weights for each method will vary) and come up with an appraisal.

I would much rather invest but cannot at the time I just need to get my foot in the door so I can learn the full process

So my wife and I have been dabbling in Real Estate education as of the last two weeks. We are two hard working professionals who have barely ever considered investing our hard earned money and have given the smallest ...

So I have been studying some aspects of REI for the past couple of years but I am struggling trying to get my foot in the door.

We're looking to add an additional room and garage and remodel a 900 square foot house.Were flipping the house so we are looking for someone that can offer affordable work while doing a good job.This will be my first pop top so I'm also looking for help on what we should roughly be paying a contractor for the pop top and 1 car garage. 

The house is a 1500 sq foot ranch.