As for paints, sticking to neutral colors like beige, cream and gray would be best. 

The contractor quoted me for higher end cabinets, but I will knock that down to the landlord special which should shave a few K off the top. 

Look for cities with strong job growth, stable or expanding population, and favorable local regulations.For passive investors seeking diversification in their real estate portfolio, considering these markets might just be the key to unlocking unexpected potential.What secondary market(s) have been catching your eye lately?

Places to eat: Onos Seafood = Solid PokeZippys or L&L Drive inn = Casual local fast foodRainbow Drive Inn = Slightly better casual local fast foodLeonards = Great MalasadasWaiola Shave Ice = Awesome Shave IceSansei = Fantastic Sushi Things to do:  Waimea Bay Drive around North ShoreDiamond Head Lookout

If you're working with newer investors and don't have as much of a track record I'd shave that off to either give LP returns a little boost, or allocate more into operational reserves.Unfortunately preferred returns have gotten kind of mainstream, but I don't think they align the interests of investors and GPs.

Will still be cashing flowing close to what I am getting now and shaving 14 years off the mortgage. 

It's not the easiest thing ever to manage, but I'm saving so much interest (I think in the range of $100K when I worked it out one time before) and shaving like 20 years off my mortgage, so I'll make the effort.

@Mark S. have you thought any further about this or spoken with any tax attorneys / CPAs?   

It's really easy to shave a little off every number or exclude cost outliers as optimism, and by the time analysis is done its not nearly as good of a deal.

Also, if you are sure that by using the seller agent to buy, that it shaves of part of the price or it assists you in getting a competitive deal.That being said, the agent fees cost you nothing as the buyer, and even if the seller agent represents you in the deal, they still have a licensed duty to get their seller the best offer possible, so if you think it'll help you get a deal because youre persuading the agent, it's worth rethinking!