I'm not bold enough to buy real estate at negative leverage - few deals in my area (and I presume, Manhattan), are trading at "Cap Rates" greater than 7%. 

Would artificial grass be considered a negative by renters - i.e. too tacky or 'low-rent' in a fairly high rent rental?

Depending on the size we may partner with 1-2 people so that’s another aspect I am looking into as well.  

Most basements get water in them at some point in my experience and I see “inadequate drainage”, “negative grading”, “recommend extending downspouts” etc. on most inspection reports.We had a property with a humid crawl space basement and set up a dehumidifier with a hose coming from it to a floor drain so that we didn’t have to keep emptying it’s tank all the time.

I think the biggest negative right now is the amount rentals in the area as the investor focus has moved to this area now.

Hadn't read all the negative comments about capital calls until after invested.Also, what big things are you looking at when you do review them, Chris.

What I did say was that we could complete the work in 10 business days, though you expressed dissatisfaction with the lead generation aspect.

However, it may be a better strategy to base your decision on cash flow rather than speculative gains.Purchase Price: $480KAnnual Rent: $2,400 * 12 = $28,800Expenses (@30%): $8,640Net Operating Income (NOI): $20,160Cap Rate: 4.2%Another point to consider: if you're already facing negative cash flow, how will your returns be impacted when it comes time to turn the property or if a costly repair is needed?

They seemed to just rehash the WSJ article but put a more negative slant on it, and probably drew some info from the Real Deal article too.

Just remember: most negative reviews are written by problematic tenants.