Are they really able to get an actual timeline & budget for a large repair?

If your property ever has a maintenance issue you can rest assured he will get it repaired at cost.Give him a call and interview him tell him angelou told you to call.

Full repair list? 

@Bruce Crawfordgood thinking ahead - thats the way to goYES your wife can be listed in the LLC regardless to her citizenship. feel free to contact me regarding any questions / tips for doing things abroad...

My next question is if I do find a 4-plex owner willing to do seller financing but the property needs to be repaired, how could I get the the funds to repair the property without coming out of pocket?

As Gareth said, learning how to run the numbers accurately is also of utmost importance, especially when it comes to marketing the property to your buyers -- they will not go for the deal if the spread is not wide enough.I wrote a few biggerpockets posts on how to run comps, estimate rehab costs, and find motivated sellers and off-market properties, they are all here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/8814-investing-with-rei-kitI feel that the most important information is how to run comps, as without that you are at the mercy of what the seller says their house is worth and have no baseline for where to start negotiations: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/8814/68395-how-to-find-real-estate-comps-and-calculate-after-repair-valueYou should start creating a buyers list right away, as getting a property under contract and running out of time to find a buyer is a real possibility.

So, if the house needs major repairs (new roof, new pool) does this already show up in the appraisal value?

Make the necessary repairs, etc. get the place rented and move on with life.

I am trying to understand the numbers a bit better and I do better by plugging in formulas and seeing the numbers change.I am especially interested in: -the layout of your pro forma-the percentage you estimate in vacancy, repair/maint., cap ex, misc-rough estimate for utilities etcI know every market is different but thats why I am asking.

In a competitive market, building a relationship and hearing out the sellers needs is the difference between getting the deal and not.About the Properties Two of the three homes purchased will have minor repairs and updates before being listed for sale on the MLS.