I have done jobs much worse and more dangerous to save less than $1000.If I was in your area Tom I would gladly do the clean up for you for a grand.

It prevents wear in the heavy use part of the stairs and provides sure footing than uncovered stairs, which can be slick and dangerous.

Dangerous in the hands of inexperienced or incompetent, invaluable in the hands of a craftsman. 

Your danger in this is if you have/want to exit early.

No one wants a fancy gizmo in a dangerous neighborhood. 

Or your in an area were jobs leave and renters go with them.the other danger at some point is renters turn into owners.. that can have a impact.. although I look at our market here in the NW we have basically a 1% vacancy and a lot of that is because unlike most of the mid west deep south etc.. there are NO where NEAR the amount of SFR's that are rentals.. prices of SFR for a rental at best would break even but most would be severe negative cash flow so they are really only sold to homeowners and that does keep the neighborhoods in good shape.. the renters are in apartments..

Deductible SEP-IRA contributions are distinct from depreciation - while depreciation represents "paper losses," SEP-IRA contributions represent real changes to to your business and personal cash-flow; the money contributed to a SEP are real dollars that can only be used by the SEP.

Portfolio management wisdom says that diversifying your investments is always a good idea; having that much tied up in two homes might be a dangerous prospect.ConclusionAs you can see, a HELOC can be used to fund the down payment on a second home.

Making sure to make a clear distinction between your rental business and your personal finances, nothing says you can't add a few months rent to their account out of your own pocket, via some cash to your PM.

I know there must be plenty of real estate flippers in the Birmingham AL area.I want to warn you that there is a danger in ordering Kitchen Cabinets online as we havejust been ripped off by such a business.