Ask your friendly title company to create a HUD-1 for youWith the offer attach pictures of all the ugly things about the property; the landscaping, broken windows, bad walk ways, bad fencing, green water in the pool, any nasty pictures of the interior, the estimate amount of renovations neededWrite a cover letter stating what you will do if they accept your offer; secure the property, insure the house, pay all cash, take care immediately of the roof problem, protect and secure the house form squatters, have the electric turned on, notify the water department, notify the local police to keep an eye out for vandals...etc.Since no one at the bank can make a decision as fast as you want, put a drop dead date in your offer.

Cons: More risk because of length to also not able to put down huge down pay to get terms low enough to influence cash flow. 3.

How to Win Friends and Influence People is a great read.

Too many red flags incl age of home and interiors needing work plus large rehab cost. 

We setup all of ours on forced air or use mini-splits, and we also sub-meter the water so that the tenant truly pays 100% of all utilities except for common area interior (hallway) and exterior lighting, as well as any utilities ran for coin-op laundry.  

Last year it dawned on me that I was not maximizing my sphere of influence and time in RE.

Failed to maintain interior walls and ceilings free from holes or cracks

@ julie Account Closed You can start by looking at your sphere of influence.

I bought a 4 unit property in Long Beach CA several years ago and have been slowly upgrading and remodeling to the interior of the front house. 

Louis, MO Purchase price: $50,000 (short sale) - aunt was agent, so fee was waived (she was helping us out) - borrowed money from grandma for the down payment: $13,000 Material costs: $8000I forgot to itemize everything over the course of the four years, but the improvements were: -blown in insulation-tile floor in kitchen-new bathroom flooring x2-new basement carpet-new basement flooring (previous was rotted through) -new carpet in bedroom x2-hard wood flooring refinished-new refrigerator-painted entire interior of the house-installed two custom closets in bedrooms-repaired and repainted the garage-tore out dinning room drop ceiling, installed drywall ceilingAll the work was done by us, save the hardwood floors.Sale Price: $108,000 less: -$6000 in fees (man I need to get a real estate license) -$5000 in concessions Net: $43,000 $108,000-$33,000 left on the note-$13,000 to grandma-$6000 fees-$5000 concessions-$8000 material costsThe problem that I have is how to value this in terms of holding costs.