I asked if there were alternatives like the lamp idea because our only table lamps are vintage antiques that I don’t want to risk getting damaged, and they’re not energy efficient anyways and we never use them.

It’s a gem of a place. 

And no, this is not an uncommon scenario and no, the house was not a "golden gem" - it was a decent rental in an okay neighborhood. 

I go to places like Construction Junction and Habitat for Humanity Restore to buy vintage glass light covers and doors (I much prefer a vintage wooden door over a cheap hollow modern door - and the modern junk is more expensive - I can usually get a used wooden interior door for $10-$20 bucks each and it looks great after it's painted).I also buy used storage cabinet/counter combos and put them in my smaller multi-family properties because those typically lack enough cabinet and counter space. 

I recently finished reading David Greene's BRRRR book (highly recommend), and there was a case study on the San Francisco real estate market (spoiler alert: he spells out how to spot emerging real estate markets... so many gems).No shocker, Miami's currently considered a sellers market.

But cool vintage is back so don’t make it too modern.

There have been a few minor improvements, however most of the units are dated (80's-90's vintage) lending themselves for further potential.I feel like a MLO is going to be a hard sell in the current market, on an MLS listing.

Hi! I was driving for dollars today in a neighborhood in the Bay Area that is pretty expensive and well kept so when I saw the shape this property was in, I was shocked. I did some research and found that a man in his...

Hi! I was driving for dollars today in a neighborhood in the Bay Area that is pretty expensive and well kept so when I saw the shape this property was in, I was shocked. I did some research and found that a man in his...

It could be six months or over a year from now, and each month you wait you are losing out on the opportunity cost of a property that cashflows now.However, I absolutely understand the desire to still seek the hidden gem, and I don't doubt there are still great bargains available even now if you look hard enough.