I mean you could make offers and if you are in the market and they aren't you can always file complaints, (only legit ones) with the city, to keep it on their radar and make it a squeeky wheel for the current owner, but yeah i'm not really a fan of bailing out people in any industry who make mistakes, so by all means by the properties but not your or anyone else's problem that they made the errors they did.  

It’s often described as the “training wheels” of real estate investing, as it allows you to get into the game with minimal risk.

Simple cosmetic updates are no longer enough; buyers want well-executed, durable improvements that justify the investment.3.

However those who misrepresent their credentials or knowingly teach systems that do not work  can certainly be prosecuted and it's only a matter of time if the wheels aren't already turning in attorney general offices across the country for this to happen. 

No sense in reinventing the wheel starting out.

You want to do them well, but for tenants, you want something really durable. 

I just want my payments to count more, and not feel like im spinning my wheels paying off huge amounts of interest only

I think, in general, unless you're an extremely high W2 earner just looking to get into real estate for tax purposes, buying for cash flow gives you the durability to weather market fluctuations as you're never in a position where your back is against the wall and you need to sell... unless you have debt coming due.Now, that being said, if the true cash flow, after allocating for all expenses, vacancy, maintenance, capex, etc. is in the black, then I think taking a 5% CoC return in an appreciating market isn't a bad move, especially if there is a component of value-add. 

I prefer durability and simplicity over style. 

I would buy and keep in reserve one of the portable units on wheels...