A block retainer or concrete decorative block will cost a little more but will last forever and look a lot better.  

Here are a list of "Red Flags" to look for:-Tall Grass                                                         -Vandalism-Boarded up or broken windows                         -Locks everywhere on the house-Mailboxes filled                                                -No curtains or blinds-Code enforcement taped to the door                 -Looks empty on the inside-Piled up newspapers                                         -Paint of the house is peeling off-Bad roofs/tarp                                                 -The gutters are falling off-Lack of personal items (no porch furniture, garden decorations, etc)-No cars or tire tracks                                        -House looks outdatedThose are a few examples on what to look for when driving for dollars.If there are other signs you look for, I would love to hear them!

At this point, it's mostly decorating, but I also updated some of my house rules, based on what the cleaning companies said were problem areas.I'm still researching leasing my property out as a ski lease this coming winter. 

Hey Guys so most likely going to be getting a brand new construction DUPLEX close to downtown Houston, TX with a view of city off back porch with 4 lots empty next to property which are planned to build new houses on my builders so potential for equity in property looks good, but it is close to a rougher area/ some houses around are old and bad I'm trying t9 decide if i should spend the money to decorate vacant side of duplex "hoping" to rent it out to make more income then a 1,300 dollar rent because if i rented it out for $60-$90 for 25 days a month im looking at $1,500-$2,250 if i can hit those numbers, but this will be my first time doing airbnb or renting as this is a house hack for me hoping to live as close to free as possible with expenses all in being around $2,150 so kind of scared of having high vacany with airbnb or if its hard to get people to stay with the virus?

Both ideas include a more longer lasting fence requiring little to no maintenance, or a more sturdy and decorative fence with maintenance every few years.

Unless you're charging too little or your have a decor or photography issue.The key is to not wait until closing to pick out furniture.

We redid the deck in the backyard, cleaned and stained the fence, redid the landscaping and furnished/decorated the home for the tenants.

Running a successful STR comes down to 3 Ps: pics, people & pricing.1) Decorate your house nicely & pay a professional photographer to take some amazing pics2) Hire amazing people - cleaners, handyman, recruit some neighbors to help fill in the gaps, & self-manage or hire an offshore VA to manage the property if you'd rather make yourself rich instead of making a local property manager rich (more on that here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/... )3) Price fiercely to maximize profits not occupancy (they're not the same thing)

Then add back in a few vintage decorating accessories in the house.  

I looked at the two units above and saw no issues anywhere on the drywall that's up against the chimney as it's not exposed on the top unit at all and the middle unit shows one side decoratively and looked fine.Next step was to check the chimney.