I was just wondering if surprises during rehab tend to result in cost overruns that eat into the profit.

A team will be more efficient, will result in fewer surprises andtypically yield a better job.

It does not seem like she was on the road to making a good investment to begin with. however these are just seller claims, I am interested in the results of my due diligence/the inspection. 

To give a few more details, my employer provides a generous match to my 401k so I plan to contribute the full matchable amount there.

Rick H.I agree with you that competence is the overriding concern, but breach of confidentiality is a result of a lack of competence.

(ability of the buyer pool to qualify and service debt) Money can be made in any market...it just takes much longer and requires creativity and diligence to identify the opportunities in mature market cycles...in addition to sticking to your financial model...without getting emotionally involved, which results in over paying for deals.

Use boolean tools + - "" (see wikipedia) to find better results faster than using google, etc.

We love the site but we've recently found that our comps don't match what we are told by 'respectable' realtors.

I said that maybe it wouldn't be a good match, but then he said he tried to pay investors 30% for a 5-6 mo. loan. 

(Note that google adjusts your search results based on your past searches and location, so use this tool to preview results that are less biased and more likely to be what your potential customers will see: https://adwords.google.com/d/AdPreview) Next, you want people to be able to find you using other keywords, like *town name* house buyers" or similar.