In addition if they have a drive thru there is usually extra layers of zoning approvals to get.

There may also be some additional riders you want to have added to the policy to further protect you as the lender.

The couple $1000 you might spend on a good home inspection will save you tens of thousands in head-aches and repairs.Once you purchase a home you can start adding a general contractor, rental management company, etc to your team.Basically, the money is in the phone. 

There is no reason to be spending cash flow early on for something that will take you a couple hours (at most) to keep track of. 

If you're going to spend $325, best to use it to establish a relationship. 

So if you are willing to spend 2 hours/month on your brother's house and you and he agree that your time is worth $85/hour, it would cost $170/month to hire you for that job.

The property underwent a full gut renovation, including the addition of a full-sized second floor and a finished basement.

This would involve additional applications, possibly architectural/engineer drawings, and inspections of the construction work by the building department personnel. 

There are so many other ways to get you where you are trying to go without spending $30k.

@Madison Sobol Franklin Park is a fairly low income area and I’m not seeing many owners spending money to improve their properties.