That on top of the escrowed payment of 1 year of property taxes and insurance upfront (which was not disclosed to me, until I got a loan estimate) has also increased the down payment by $7,500.

Is that too much or should I gradually increase overtime.

My guess is a 3/8" drywall was installed over existing plaster walls but no trim was removed, the drywall was just butted up against in. my brother-in-law is a contractor in central pa who does this, however to a much higher standard than what this was done in. 

This would give you a more standard metric to compare apples to apples. 

There are extra features that will increase the value of the house so the range of ARV's can vary.

Also, you probably want to make a 1-5% increase each year for inflation as well.

@Alex Young - those are pretty standard in any state. 

In addition to Driving for Dollars, you can increase your mailing for money by working with a list broker to do more Mailing for Money.A lot of people have had a lot of luck mailing to Absentee Owners.

It’s currently half way through a 15 year note from my uncle and the rent has increased $225 a month already in 5 years plus all of the equity sitting in it.

Find ways to cut down your living expenses and get a second job to increase your income.