And I believe cash flow is king; appreciation is a nice added bonus.

Bonus guess: a small animal drowned in it. 

See an example from one of my listings below.They were even able to take a completely empty dirt backyard, and transform it into a landscaped yard to go along with a landscape allowance that the Seller was offering.It's amazing at what the virtual staging can do for giving vision to potential Buyers/Renters who otherwise wouldn't have any (vision that is).I hope this helps!

My initial thought was to sell the house and bank the equity, save deployment money and my overseas tax free re-enlistment bonus.

I have a spreadsheet to track how much I accrue/set aside each month based on the rents I expect to have coming in.My banks let me have these accounts for free with some nominal minimum balance requirements.I have separate accounts for:Working Capital (main account, rents come in, mortgages go out)CapexRep/Maint/VacancyTax/InsuranceCashflowTenant deposits (for self managed properties)https://www.amazon.com/Profit-First-Transform-Cash...

Many people say not to count on any appreciation and to look at it like a bonus because you never know what might happen in the future. 

I'm approaching this whole project as a big learning opportunity, to develop a skill-set I can use for future projects.I have a lot of fun plans for the garage of this property, which is huge, insulated, and has a bonus room, as well as a good structure for a garage-top deck. 

I bought a house in CA a few years back that had a backyard shed that was transformed into living space (guest house).

My research has brought me to density bonus for low income housings.

If we could find one that was a portfolio lender that would be an awesome bonus.