AirDNA recently published a "best places to buy vacation home" breakdown and Napa and Sonoma clearly stand out as unusually profitable: http://blog.airdna.co/buy-vacation-home-properties...I think that's in large part due to the strong restrictions on STR's - when visiting Napa I was told that non-owner-occupied STR permits are hard to come by, STR permits have an annual cap, and owner-occupants get priority. 

I think the funds, like BlackStones Invitation Homes, America 4 Rent, and @Jay Hinrichs and @Brian Burke, did a good job exploiting the unusual drop in house pricing nationwide.Where else are inefficiencies that can be exploited?  

Is it terribly unusual to weed out unqualified applicants by requesting a paper application before showing them the property?

It is very unusual to get less than $1500 every turn.

I just finished negotiating the sale of one of our single family rentals and got me wondering if anyone has anything unusual they like to throw out in a counter offer to "sweeten" the deal without just lowering the price or adjusting closing costs.

Second, if it is unusual, what is the best way to have the appraiser reconsider the appraised number?

Many investors do that, it's not unusual.

I found this to be a little unusual so I asked why the shower doors could barely move (I lived in the property for 11 years before this and the shower doors always moved smoothly.)Turns out that apparently in her words, "A lil screw came loose and I don't know where it went and that's when it started getting harder to move the shower doors."

It is unusual that a very young kitten has the ability to hunt, kill and bring back prey.   

In the case of a washer and dryer it is not unusual that a lease may contain a clause that these are provided for the convenience of the tenant and will not be repaired if broken during the rental period.Many landlords who do provide appliances such as refrigerators will include a clause in the lease that if the frig happens to require a repair during the tenancy, they will not be responsible for any claimed damage to food.Gail