I can usually save a decent amount, especially if I keep eyes out for deals and buy when these items are priced most competitively and not necessarily when I need them.Using the bathroom remodel apartment as an example, I will spend $1,500 more per unit than most of my competitors who renovate in the same market but that $1,500  (5% of my apartment renovation budget) gets me  oversized soaking tub in most units, nicer tiled bathrooms, counter tops that don't look like every other apartment in the neighborhood & a step up in appliance package and better quality fixtures.

Happy to keep an eye out and let you know if anything interesting comes along either way. 

It's best to get licensed so you will have a competent broker, a second set of eyes on the transaction who will help keep you out of trouble. 

Just keep an eye on the community of how many rentals come up, how much they charge and how fast they fill.

Always glad to offer a critical eye, especially when it comes to the financials!

For example, this year we have raised rents from 25% to 50% just to get to the 1% level (which is allowing us to catch up with home price values).

If you use the agent finder tool you’ll get me, so save yourself the time there.As far as the municipality, most of my folks are keeping a close eye on Clay, Cicero and North Syracuse.

In the meantime, I'll be keeping an eye on the local market (Hebron, Florence, Burlington, KY) for trends or rate cuts to make cash flow a possibility. 

thanks for the replies, to clarify a bit more, I'm mainly looking for an agent who can be my eyes and ears in the case I'm not able to be there in person to view the property.

As the the lines get blurred on who is interpreting the definition of these terms correctly, the desire from the owner to update a property that from the naked eye needs work should be absolutely heard.