If your local market is very active and homes are selling fast, you may be able to get by with doing less.Your Home’s Condition: If your home is vacant or has a unique layout, using a professional stager who can bring in the right furniture and accessories may help buyers truly visualize its full potential.Your Budget: Talk to your agent to get an idea of staging costs in your area, as it can be the difference between your house selling and sitting.

Then I get guests who are thrilled to book a big 7-BR house for say, $600/night while competing properties sit empty. 

Both properties have a substantial amount of equity that’s essentially sitting idle.Would it be a good idea to tap into this equity (through a HELOC, cash-out refinance, etc.) to fund future fix-and-flip projects or purchase additional rental properties?

Listings that have been sitting on the market seem stale, not exciting and spook buyers in that they may think there could be an issue as to why it's been sitting on the market. 

Sellers are offering incentives like paid closing costs, and with homes sitting longer on the market, buyers have more room to negotiate!

Just closed on one for a client over the hill in Reno, NV, that was sitting on the open market and they took an aggressive offer. 

Risks: rates go down and you have to pay a prepay of 2 or 3 %; you have to sell and pay the prepay; rents decline & you can't make the payment like any other type of loan; cost upfront a little more than conventional; need to find experienced broker licensed in the state where subject property sits; servicers are bulldogs. 

You should sit down with the tenant and talk this out, EYE BALL TO EYE BALL.  

Have you taken the time to sit down and reflect on last year and how you did compared to the goals you set for yourself in 2024?

well if this was remotely true I would pay the 35k and sit back let them do all the work and make my 200k a year.