I hope you find a way through all of this and things improve for you.

This is not a "real estate rental income" activity as defined by the IRS, so whether you are a REP or not, you can take this benefit.All of this is separate from a QOZ Investment, which would require you to first recognize a capital gain from another source (say a stock sale), invest that gain, hold it in a Corporate or Partnership structure (likely partnership), meeting the substantial improvement qualifications of being a QOZB, and then yes, you get to avoid the depreciation recapture at the end of the 10 year hold period, at least for the portion of your investment attributable to the original gain that you invested in the project. 

People have talked about improving the photos, and that's absolutely something you need to do.

Gardening maintenance is deductible as it’s not an improvement.

Then make improvements to force appreciation.Many people want to buy turnkey especially in the STR market. 

We now budget for vacations, home improvements, car savings, medical savings, Christmas fund, etc... 

The list price was 160,000 with no improvements.

I have several commercial transactions pending and as recently as this week clients are obtaining much improved terms:- 25% down on a 20+ unit apartment complex at 5.5% Down 25 year amortization. - 25% down on a 20k SF Warehouse at 6% 25 year amortization. - 30% down on 200+ storage unit complex Earlier this summer those rates were approaching 7.5-8%We anticipate a very active fourth quarter. 

Hi Scott,It seems like you’ve got a strong understanding of creative financing and investing strategies, but I do have a couple of comments and suggestions that could help you improve future deals.First, while your financing structure was incredibly effective, it’s crucial to always account for potential delays in renovation and build in a buffer for holding costs.

So maybe that's stacking savings, maybe paying down debt, improving FICO, or maybe it's raising capital, whatever, the details don't matter because there is 101 flavors out there, all that matters is what is your 1-Thing NOW, do that, THAT alone, with fanatical focus like a fat-boy on cake!