We traded getting into the market (with reasonable rents) for higher cap expenses than I perhaps anticipated, haha.Besides looking at the age of major components of the house, is there a better way to estimate cap expenses? 

Their hoses didn't survive the move, or failed unexpectedly. 

There probably is not one set number because it will depend on the age of a property, the age of the system components, if there are maintenance records available for the properties you will be looking at and other factors. 

That way if you have unexpected things go wrong, which they typically will, you'll have enough cash flow coming in to cover everything.  

There are annual contribution limits to both a Traditional and Roth IRA.Furthermore, a traditional IRA can have both a deductible / non-deductible component(You would need to keep track of your basis in the non-deductible component).I personally do not like to invest directly in real estate through a retirement account.The issues you will potentially have are1) If you have to have excess funds within the retirement account for items such as improvements, tenant turnovers.

There are several pros and cons to consider when deciding whether to use savings or business credit to pay for rehab costs or to fold those costs into the mortgage with a 203K loan.Pros of using savings or business credit:Less red tape with rehab process when it is your own moneyYou may be able to secure a lower interest rate on a personal or business loan than you would on a 203K loan.Cons of using savings or business credit:You will have less cash on hand for unexpected expenses or emergencies.You may not be able to secure a loan large enough to cover the full cost of the rehab.Pros of using a 203K loan:You can roll the cost of the rehab into the mortgage, which means you will only have to make one payment each month.You may be able to secure a larger loan than you would with a personal or business loan.Cons of using a 203K loan:The interest rate on a 203K loan may be higher than the interest rate on a personal or business loan.The 203K loan process can be more complex and time-consuming than obtaining a personal or business loan.Ultimately, the decision of how to finance your rehab costs will depend on your specific financial situation and goals.

Of course, that's an emotional component, which I would just see as a 'math problem' now.Also, the homes were cheaply built and required capex to sell at year 10. 

Assumption would be the safest way..have the note holders blessing...and not have to worry about an unexpected demand for 155K or thereabouts. 

Factoring in the utilities, first-year repairs, and quite a few unexpected capital expenditures, cashflow is currently in the red.

@Amira WillisYou’ll find many OOS investors in expensive markets like ours..You will need more than $3k to get started the exact amount will vary by the market.The mistakes many newbies make is not having enough reserves, when the unexpected happens they have no room for errors so make sure to have plenty of reserves.You need to decide what type of investing you want to do, buy & hold, flipping, wholesaling etc and decide on a market.There are many other decisions you need to make you can start with those 2.