What I have in mind is make an offer at 65% of the ARV, $10K-15K as my assignment fee and the repair costs (if any at all).

They are worthwhile (this one was a list price of $83,900, FMV $135,000, needs about $25k in repair, our purchase price is $32,000.

If you like to "hope so and wait" type of person, choose stocks.Real estate on the other hand has all the benefits.Their values are like a slow moving train that youget to inspect, repair, rent, insure, buy 7 different ways,sell 7 different ways.You can see it coming (appreciate) and going (depreciate)in time enough to get on and get off and make a profitbefore, during, after, and all around.There is no comparison - real estate is the best hands downas long as you're competent(take all costs into consideration) and prepared(have the best support team).Sure yo can kind of be 'competent' and sort of 'prepared'in buying/selling stocks, but again, it is still a "hope so and wait" 'technique'.

I'm just looking to guesstimate repairs on a property that I may put an offer on.

I have in mine "Buyer may conduct his own personal inspections and approve or disaprove of conditions and or necessary repairs required to property."

Buying , Fixing, and Selling, 4 month time frame, (I hope)I am not a handyman, so estimating repair cost is a reach.A poster on this site suggested to use the $5K rule to estimate repair cost5k to fix/update any major house component.

Find a Realtor that you want to work with, or even someone who will run you comps for a little bit of money Have them run comps on the ARV (After Repair Value - read "fixed up").

She needs to pay off IRS' fees and penalties for cashing our 401k afetr she was terminated (that is when she almost lost her house to foreclosure).Currently owes 60k, worth 100k, needs 5-10k for cosmetic repairs, needs about 10k to pay IRS.

In your offer to the bank I would include a contractors estimate of repairs.This lets the bank know that while your offer is low, if they want a good price they need to fix something before its sold.Several of my short sales where done this way, the first counter was high and when I asked the bank if they looked at the enclosed estimate of repairs they came back and approved the sale.

The option payment basically covered either the repairs or the holding costs, but not both.