Everyone thinks they can paint but there's a big difference between a professional paint job and a non-professional one (the latter usually actually damages the property instead of improving it). 

@Dennis Bragg, how did you factor improvements and market appreciation into the buy-back price?

I was overwhelmed with projects at the time but paid $35,000 and sold two years later without any improvements for $125,000. 

I apologized and said (and truly meant) I'd follow up on it and improve for the future.

That alone was the biggest improvement for my business practices and allowed me to take all of my bookkeeping in-house and eliminate the expense I was shelling out for a bookkeeper.

We're improving units, management efficiencies and bringing rents to market value.

The biggest issue with Stessa is that it sounded like they had very low transfer maximums(making it difficult to pay people) but it looks like they've improved a little bit on that.

Your equity can provide the funds to make those improvements happen, increasing your home’s value and making it more enjoyable to live in too.Getting a Business GoingIf you’ve been dreaming about starting your own business, your equity could be the kickstart you need.

This is the same if you made an improvement to your home like finishing a basement or adding in a pool.

So, if your current rent roll is still on the lower side, it could limit the amount you can borrow right now.However, if you have even a partial track record showing improvements.. say a few of the units are already updated and attracting higher rents.. a lender might take that into consideration when underwriting.