I had a landscaping business in college, have dabbled with multiple online business opportunities throughout my educational career, and have continued to read and read about real estate investing.

In my part of the country an upgrade to a system can get pricy, we're talking about new civil engineering plans, permits, meetings with the town, excavators, and new landscaping, its a process....So I have to ask, are you sure you have a private septic system?

In a perfect world: (in no particular order): Square/rectangular shape, 1-story, open floor plan, lower pitched roof fully trussed, slab on grade monolithic foundation, 24 o.c framing everywhere, T1-11 plyw. siding, minimal windows, minimal doors, minimal trim, minimum code electrical/HVAC/plumbing, carpet everywhere, avoid tile, laminate countertops, Home Depot cabinets, basic fixtures and appliances, no fencing, no trees or old stumps, minimize landscaping, minimize driveways and walkways, forget pavers, cleared flat lot, no fill, utility hookups available in front of house and best case they are aleady tapped, inspectors are easy to work with and pass everything the 1st time, subs show up when they need to and actually care.

In PRIME location.It’s listed for 195kIt needs• brand new kitchen • 1 master bath, 1 guest• new flooring (everything is carpet)• paint• maybe 4 new doors• maybe exterior paint and definitely landscaping 3 bed 2 bath- brick chimney to the ceiling 😍Comps on the street are up to 275k- 2 streets down comps are 350-1.5milThis would be our second flip- does it sound worth it and what’s the best backup offer since we don’t know what anyone else has offered

I also have an excellent landscaper who manages my properties yards bi-weekly. 

I have seen quite a few homes where the iron is in the  ground water , the people have to monthly clean the sump pit with a garden hose .  

You can request the HOAs budget and financials to determine if it's reasonable or not.In addition to landscaping and pool, an HOA is also required to carry insurance on both the property and the board of directors' E&O insurance. 

Someone may find that using the land for a community garden or children's park is of great benefit to the neighborhood.

Here are some of my proforma numbers: I don't know what's accepted in your market, but where I am all tenants are responsible for their own landscaping.

During the rehab, we replaced all floors with laminate, new roof, new appliances, new bathroom vanities, and we pulled up the landscaping.