As a licensed contractor and real estate agent, I can review your estimates, ask the questions you might not know to ask, and help you make an informed decision that balances cost with quality.

Why not use the higher end of the estimate and once you are serious about putting in an offer contact your broker then?

However, I still struggle to understand the art of estimating rehab costs. 

We got three estimates from masonry repair companies ranging from $7,500 (patch) to $35,000 ("do this repair now or you will need a major $80K repair").

Hi Eric,Great question—estimating operating expenses can definitely be tricky, especially for items like maintenance, CapEx, and make-ready costs that vary widely between properties.

I then created an excel sheet with those estimates to know (a) what to offer for land to make my numbers and (b) to hold the sub to what they estimated for me.  

Hello I wanted to know what does it cost to do foundation & framing for a 1,500sq ft house being built in Lehigh Acres Florida. 

you just have to estimate them based on what the property needs.so if it needs a new furnace + a bathroom gut and remodel + new windows, you estimate that.  

I'm having a hard time finding any estimating tools for this kind of a project, adding a story and multiple BR/1 BA, and wondered if there were any tools, sites or recommendations any of you have for this kind of a project. 

They can send you comps so you can confirm the estimated ARV.