.$4850 sounds about right...yeah, the amount is pretty much determined by the city...so just pay them so that you get your permit as soon as you can.

Will they take less depends on if they have determined that the house is worth less than the FJ, and they decide to take less now, instead of later......otherwise they will bid up the FJ amount.

Here's a blog article that covers many of those sites that may be helpful to you: How to Determine Fair Market Rent.

I am trying to determine if the purchase of this house is a good deal for tear down and new duplex construction  numbers are 105k for house $225k for renovations.

Did you sign an exclusive agreement with them? 

Although, we have a general contract for any work, neither of us signs it - I pay him as the work progresses.

 Hello everyone, I'm an Illinois newbie in this business, and I'm not sure how to introduce myself; I have a full-time job (mech. designer) that pays my current mortgage, and I'm determined to join your club.

I signed up for Bigger Pockets Pro and calculated my numbers to see if they work out for me going forward or are they just bad deals.I am going to start looking at properties to buy this weekend and was wondering if anyone would like to take a look at a few reports I’ve done.  

I've heard of investors just paying the water bill and then billing back the tenants or just collecting a flat amount for water each month.2) I ask that they email me the application back and I get a copy of the photo ID at lease signing.

For example, if you are cash flowing $400 on a $225,000 purchase, assuming a 25% down payment, the ROI is $4800 / $56,250 = 8.5%, which is realistic.Also, I would consider creating a budget that is longer than 1 year and determine the average ROI.