If you sit empty for one month, you lose $1250 for PITI, plus utilities and any other expenses.

I'm curious if this discrepancy is typical of other regions as well.How accurate is the data on this site?

To what extent does landscaping typically add value to a property for the purposes of appraisal and re-financing, compared to other improvements? 

Typically, clients are using this to buy down their interest rate to 6% or less.Reach out for more information.

(Think of it as you are the "bank" in a typical REO transaction). 

@Chris Blackburn, while I can't speak to this specifically, there are a few red flags I see in your post.1: A Realtor has to be a member of the national association of realtors, an industry trade group primarily focused on your typical home buyer.  

(prorating utilities by tenant head count for instance). 

It is typically caused by excess humidity (showering or cooking) and can be resolved by teaching the tenant to use ventilation fans and airing out the home once a week for 10-15 minutes.

I am a fan of utilizing equity in existing real estate owned to build the rental portfolio though at the beginning, rather than just relying on money saved alone.  

They can take care of a lot of the monotonous tasks, and even do things like send leases, screen tenants, add rent charges, pay utility bills, the list goes on.