Literally all they did was paint the exterior brick white with some weird artsy designs and they called that a big value add. 

They look rough on the exterior and most of them are located in the class C neighborhood.

Lesson learned: stick to cosmetic fixes unless you’re ready for the stress of a full reno.If house hacking isn’t working in your area, maybe look into single-family homes with ADUs or just an extra bedroom with an exterior entrance.

I have seen it on padsplits in ATL on the brokerage side - best way to mitigate risk is on the purchase AND exterior maintenance. 

The one challange is maintaining the exterior, of the home being so close to a school it gets beat up.

I got a quote for 8K sft retail from a construction company for around $120/sft, this includes site prep, utilities, metal building erection, exterior finishes, interior insulation etc (basically build the shell from scratch).

Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) is a cost-effective choice for flooring, offering durability and a high-end look.

Chipping paint on exterior is going to be be your downfall.

In these early stages of learning and developing as an investor, I'm primarily focused on properties that may require the following: paint, flooring, bathroom/kitchen remodel, drywall, light fixtures, exterior landscaping, siding, or new HVAC.

Unfortunately, it looks as if the management company and the HOA board are evading their responsibility for this matter.As the management company are only responsible for exterior maintenance I feel it should be the responsibility of the HOA board but I do not know who they are and neither do any of my neighbours and the management company are ignoring my requests for their contact details!