Ideally I sell the house, albeit at a loss, and start over fresh in my hometown.

As for adding value, just get the mechanicals in good working order & get it looking clean & fresh - paint & carpet or other flooring do most of the work.

In addition to the fees they increase rents on improved fresh properties so their share of the PM monthly goes up.If your tenant has been there 5 or 6 years (doesn't matter w/ sec 8 ) then your place is going to get ratty.

Hope I didn't reveal too much up there...But Karen, an update:Romney put out the 2011 tax return as you know.

I think paint might add a bit, even if you're planning on painting already - because fresh drywall needs more paint compared to already painted drywall.

Less for you to have to replace/repair but not something that is going to affect your rental rates.I don't think this will make you feel better because its so fresh, but it should help ease your mind on what kind of budget you should be looking forward to in the future.

For the properties, it doesn't reveal much about liens -- mortgage behind payments and other info.

Last time I tried to look at something in the LA area, the information was partially redacted based on some "we can't reveal where politicians live, and since we don't know who's a politician, we won't reveal anyone."

I suggest you start a fresh thread in the general RE forum where you ask about investing in your area.

Determine your buy/hold/sell costs + ROI and whether or not you should buy this will be revealed---use a formula like this:BPO (Best Possible Offer) = CMV (Current Market Value) - Rehab - B/H/S Fees (Buy/Hold/Sell) - ROI (Return of Investment)Regards,Scott Miller