They did not install any carbon or smoke detectors. 

That is a smoking rate.  

Smoke gets everywhere.

. ;) Travel, start a business, smoke a j, maybe all 3 lol.

I called the realtor I was working with prior to getting the deals from the wholesaler and told her to withdraw all three offers I placed on good properties(which are no longer available by the way) as I had a smoking deal on these two duplexes.  

My current home wouldnt pass the current code ( no house wrap , not enough insulation in the ceiling , walls now have to be 2 by 6 ,  dryer has to be 4 wire , not 3 wire , smoke detectors have to be hard wired ,  fire sprinklers)   I dont have to change a thing , if I did it would be a small fortune . 

I had a tenant that created a fire (mostly smoke and water damage from a fire sprinkler). 

My thought is, "sacrifice now and a couple years from now I'll be driving something that smokes the Maxima."

Would of loved to stay local but with what I have (time and finances) at moment to invest and the smoking hot sellers market here I will look at the great cash flow markets for Buy, Hold and rent out of town.

Lawn, bark dust, trim shrubs, wash windows.Paint interior.New flooring.Do heavy cleaning to tub, sinks, faucets and appliances early to evaluate whether they need to be replaced.Other cleaning, repairs, and replacements.Install smoke detectors & CO2 detectorsPrior to placing ads, the following needs to be decided/ready: estimated unit availability date, how to handle utilities, market rent amount, deposit amount, any updates to application, policies, or screening process.