Figuring out the true cost will heavily depend on the type of dig down, depth, and total square footage. 

Any tips on balancing renovation costs with tenant expectations when preparing a property for midterm stays?

You can use some easy number in Chat GPT to help you figure out what you need.  

Looking to net 4 figures a month in cash flow with this unit - the goal is to close 7 more by the end of the year - let's see how it goes. 

I own a duplex in Clermont, FL just outside of Orlando and initially wanted to split water meters between the two units, but the cost and amount of work were higher than expected.

With the fires in CA, you can expect materials and contractors to become even more expensive. 

Inspect what you expect.

Sounds like a problem with setting expectations.

Also just look online and steal some ideas...I used to Google Luxury Kitchens and then figure out how to do the same for less $$.You'll be fine with your experience.

But ultimately the responsibility lies in my hands.I jumped on a seesaw of risk hoping that the momentum would catapult my bank account into six figures only to find out the hard way that flipping houses isn’t as easy as I had predicted.This house was purchased for $64,000 with an expected rehab of $100k to $120k depending on how much work the dilapidated and neglected house needed.The midwest is lovely but the houses carry the weight of weather storms nearly a century old leading to more damage than a beginning investor could expect.The appraisal came in at $225k for my lender meaning our all-in cost would be around 85% of the sales price worst case.