Networking seems to be a huge factor in this business so I would suggest finding people already successfully flipping in your area their insight will be invaluable.

Ithaca is an Outlayer statistically, there are many factors that influence this.

I wouldn't worry too much about not having assets when it comes to qualifying for a mortgage, that's doesn't factor into the equation, with some readily available conventional loans.  

I think if you do the math and factor the costs of refinancing to save $80 a month, you will see that you are going to spend more in fees per year for the costs to refinance than you are going to save by not having the PMI.  

This wouldn't be a mortgage.The bank will tie up your funds and should offer a competitive rate, this is a low risk deal for them and I don't suspect your credit will be much of a factor. 

@Stephen Moskowitz I meant that the cost of renovating becomes higher if you have to factor in the cost to raise the home on top of all of the other renovations.

So I've been studying the state of the art, best tools & practices in Property Management, especially curious about Work Network development and proactive, preventive maintenance.What I've been surprised to discover is that the best PM platforms are full-blown accounting systems, designed to replace the likes of QuickBooks which has been so popular for so long.The thing I'm wondering is, if real estate investors are well diversified, they're probably doing a lot more than just investing in real estate.  

I'm an Architect with experience in residenital/commercial design and development.

And, since you're marketing to probates, you can design a specific home seller's guide for probates.This will get prospects to respond to you and request their guide. 

I believe there are a few different schools of thought on this.Personally, I think it's wise to at least take a look at how the numbers crunch with management being factored in.