But, if repairs come up and they don't have the money to fix them, if they put a bad tenant in that does a lot of damage, or in general, if the neighborhood starts deteriorating, it could turn into a bad investment.These are all things to think about with any real estate investment.

We've also done all the maintenance and repairs all these years, we put new linoleum in the kitchen, painted the interior, built a new fence/gate, stained all cabinets, much more all without reimbursement as the owner is a tightwad and had never wanted to pay for upgrades.

You should consult with a qualified contractor to discuss options and costs for proper repairs.

Along the way you have to manage and support the property… fill the unit, repairs, etc.  

Need recommendations for a driveway repair - there is a big tree in my front yard whose roots have aggressively lifted the concrete slabs of my driveway.

For example, in Tampa Bay, I know I can sell a property all day at 80% of ARV minus repairs, so my offer would be that result minus my fee.

The other aspect is identifying what I call "Ugly Inventory" so that you find homes that can still pass an appraisal and not be "Subject to" so that you can do some TLC with repairs/renovations to borrow off of the ARV.

Pretty much all major components were newly installed / fitted and done to a tasteful standard (new metal roof, plumbing, electrical, kitchen, flooring, bathroom, doors, new hvac, decks, vinyl siding etc) and I have visited and walked through 3 times and even been under crawl space to inspect a repair that was previously noted on an inspection to the foundation after termite treatment which looked to be a good job.

You won't be incurring these every year..I think you should sit down and just run the numbers for the next 12 months, taking into consideration only what you expect to spend to operate the property, expect to spend on maintenance and a buffer for emergency repairs.

Remember that you have to follow the 1031 Exchange Rules.Is that $500/month after putting money aside for vacancy, repairs, etc.?