Mine is $15k which is eerily close to J Scotts but considering we are in similar areas and my business model is pretty much completely based on his books it is no surprise our baselines are similar.

I might want to swipe this idea once I'm licensed and financially stable where I could realistically set up the systems and make this business model work for me here in GA.I read the website, but their explanations are targeted at sellers, not other wholesalers who want to understand exactly how they're doing this.Any input is appreciated. :)

Depending on the project (and business model), you can often find other people's leftovers.  

Please understand that Qualified Intermediaries, in general, are not licensed, regulated or required to be insured or bonded and have no minimum equity capitalization requirements.We recommend that you consider the following risk criteria prior to selecting a Qualified Intermediary:(1) The technical expertise and experience of the Qualified Intermediary(2) The level of protection provided by the Qualified Intermediary's errors and omissions insurance coverage, which protects you against possible mistakes made by the Qualiied Intermediary(3) The level of protection provided by the Qualified Intermediary's Fidelity bond coverage, which protects you from potential theft or embezzlement of your 1031 Exchange funds by the Qualiied Intermediary(4) The practice of using Qualified Trust Accounts or Qualified Escrow Accounts to ensure that your 1031 Exchange funds are protected by law as fiduciary funds(5) The protections provided through licensing, auditing, and regulatory oversight by regulatory authorities I hope this helps, and if you have any questions please feel free to give me a call or pm. 

It should also be embedded on the contract what make and model he is to install.

I have bailed many of them out over the years when some guru gave them a model that turned out to get them in deep kimchee with regulators.

We are looking at a model that charges a pet fee monthly rather then a one time deposit.

However, I used to build mortgage/loan pricing/underwriting models, elimination of PMI definitely comes with a greater risk for lenders, which translates to higher interest rates, with everything else equal.

I have the Honeywell model that runs about $225 from the big box stores and love it.  

Their business model is 100% focused on commissionable publicly traded assets.