What I object to are wholesalers who snatch up properties on MLS without ever planning to buy them and then attempt to sell them to someone else at a profit.

And yes, gold is substantially more stable than dollars, especially over long periods.)Long story short:The best way to objectively value a property is by the cash flow it will yield.

I have gone to many over the years.. but the best training I got was just our weekly sales meetings were I listened to the veterans go round the table of how they handle objections its all about objection handling  being prompt courteous and knowledgeable. 

Some people might object on a flip to having a septic tank, but others will be glad not to pay the sewer bill.

Just come out and make your ask, and be prepared to resolve objections.   

I even asked him if I could go blow it all in Vegas and they had no objections.

But as a baseline for mid-level design, I'd say $6000 + $2000 per bedroom (not just the bedroom, but this will affect quantity/scale of other items as well) is a realistic amount if you're fairly frugal.

My thing is how much I should put away for repairs, maintenance, etc since there is no objective percentage.

The receipts are important to show the value of an object that has been damaged.  

But if your objective is to just trash my business, I'm not interested.