We want her to live with us so she's more active and social, but our current house isn't suitable.

Unfortunately, it's now going to get more complicated:(There are two types of approaches PMCs use to bill for maintenance:1) In-house ServiceTechs on the payroll, so owners are billed for their time by the hour.While the labor charges above are useful, they don't cover the true costs a PMC incurs, like:- Payroll costs for FICA, Social Security, Medicare, etc. that typically add 25-40% to the hourly rate- Medical insurance costs for the worker- Payroll processing costs to handle all of the above- Liability insurance costs in case worker damages something or injures someone- Workman's Compensation insurance- Costs of vehicles and tools- and more...Typically the management contract will disclose the total hourly rate an owner will be charged.

Are there any house at that price point that would rent for $1200-1500/ month with 20k worth of updating?"

If you are looking to house hack in our local neck of the woods, I recommend reaching out to @Josh Green.

This will show you that people have options to go out and pick another house over your place. 

*Have a USP right of the bat to convert leads*Have a huge/constant flow of leads from investors, sellers, partners, etc.If I was doing it for houses, I'd do the same thing, just work on the leads.

You don't want to distract the buyers from the house with too many items or stuff.

I know in Philadelphia if I had a 2 BR house it would be viewed favorably by tenants who are seeking 2 BR living situations because most inventory will be apartment style living and for this reason would achieve a rent premium.

Is it better to keep adding equity by doing work on the houses while I'm renting them then refinance to recover the initial down-payment to reinvest into another property or to pay down the heloc?

The sellers says it's just college boys and that's to be expected.He's currently getting good rents...as unbelievable as it may seem and if cleaned/fixed up it could make more as well as increase the value of the property.We own several coworking/coliving properties in the US and Mexico, so we are used to hospitality and properties out of state.However, my questions are;Is this a norm for college students, or student housing?