@Jessie Elder A "good" reserve is whatever allows you to complete your project AND sleep at night!

I continue to believe in the area and the project. 

I have been one for 50 years  but like you have other income and interest in non RE related bizz but income is basically all related to some form of RE  building  Renting our money to others fix and flip and a few long term holds

Target a Class B SFR rental and don't try to buy an odd property.You'll have enough of a challenge learning the basics and won't need to layer other issues on top!

Too aggressive rent growth projections?

Keep it simple and learn the basics (tons of resources here).3.

That could blow up your projected budget.  

When companies are selecting a location to set up operations, the basic requirements include (but are not limited to):Low operating costs, since every business has competitors.

I have him bless all of the major projects we do. 

Investors, curious to hear: what’s the toughest budget overrun you’ve dealt with mid-project, and how did you handle it?