There doesn't seem to be a leak in the wall of the basement but rather general seepage through the cinderblock as a result of the hill it is built into. 

In this case there is tremendous "damage" to walls beyond wear and tear.

This worked well at first, but I started noticing "ghost" charges for random repairs and services: $45 for a door knob replacement, $85 for wall repairs, $65 for a toilet leak, etc.

You're taking your housing payment, which most of us have, and making it count toward investing as well.I was going to say something similar to @Jaron Walling - set your expectations differently.  

I have to remove the nails on the walls, add fillers, touch up and repaint some part of the home.

The build-to-rent trend has been on the rise, thanks to Hedge Funds and Wall Street getting heavily involved in the industry.

I feel like everyone is stepping away from the beige and gray and gravitating towards the white walls and black trim etc 

It is a clean slate walls-and-studs-only building.

If the cleaning was excessive in the walls were damaged above normal, wear and tear then you can charge them.

Hopefully, this first investment will launch our journey in real estate.Here are some criteria we have in mind:Not in downtown SacramentoClass C+ or B location, since we will be living in one unit (we just want a safe location)Units with shared walls, not ceilingsSeparately meteredFairly renovated or well-maintained (not a fixer-upper, but if one unit is renovated and the others need some work, we would love the experience of fixing and renovating)Can you think of any other factors we should consider?