So, realistically you probably aren't getting awarded more than $30k anyways. 

They aren't the best, so I do plan to find a photographer that would give better photos of the unit.

Although we aren't seeing 40+ offers on single listings like in Austin, we are consistently seeing properties selling for above asking price and receiving 3-8 offers within the first day or two of going live.

Robert Cialdini notes that creating a sense of reciprocation is one of the best sales tactics out there, even if the items being reciprocated aren’t anywhere near equal in value (like a 12-month lease versus a $25 gift card, for example).

These are expenses incurred before your business is active, and they typically aren’t immediately deductible in full, as they are considered part of starting the business rather than ongoing operational costs.To provide more detail, according to IRS rules (as seen in the screenshot), you can deduct the lesser of $5,000 or your total startup expenditures.

To me, the market has spoken and there just aren't many people in the area wanting to pay that kind of price for a rental property. 

Remember, your tenants aren’t going to pay you more rent for a pretty basement so only do what you need to to keep them warm, safe, and dry.

What if you aren’t meeting your goals?

"Keep in mind there's a highway behind the house," or other things you know they would care about but aren't necessarily in the pictures.

As to the "IF" in that last statement - check out this thread on Norada Capital where they basically said, "Yeah, things are going so poorly that you aren't getting your money back any time soon" (very paraphrased):https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/960/topics/1196567-nora...I'm a "own the property yourself" guy.