If they are low balls then usually you are asking someone to work for free as the fix and flip landscape is competitive for a low pay out.

Target Low Vacancy RatesChicago neighborhoods like Lakeview and West Town boast low vacancy rates, meaning fewer empty months.

@Kristin MathernI would pay it given no keys were provided, it wasn’t specifically addressed/mentioned in your lease, you were provided the opportunity to address/fix yourself with a 25-30 dollar replacement from Lowe’s/Home Depot, and lastly, it was an existing situation that could have been avoided/prevented at move in.

Moreover, I would recommend prioritizing a W2 position over 1099 self-employment/sales for two reasons.

Low value markets might be Pennies on the dollar like you allude to. 

I just did my first town and the units available per headcount seems really low.

The current rents are really low because the tenants are responsible for doing any and all repairs on their buildings (which in my opinion contributes to the poor condition of the buildings). 

- very low remaining mortgage balance!!

Because, it's way too low. 

Many of these are low income, government subsidized housing units.