The equity in the home has been created by renovations that currently do not match what is listed on the MLS...if you get what I'm sayin'.

Before getting into a deal passively I would recommend building a relationship with credible syndicators to see if their investment strategies match yours and if where they invest makes sense to you.Once you have developed a relationship and vetted the syndicators, then I would see deals that they offer.It's a long road but if you have any questions feel free to reach out.

I've found some laminate/vinyl stair caps, but they're ridiculously expensive for what they are and we're trying to match the floors and the caps have very limited color options.If you've done something that works, would you have any pictures to show as well?

My employer matches 100% on 401k contributions up to 3% of salary and the 50% on the next 2%.

You might have to replace the whole kitchen if you can't match it.  

Contractors spend hours putting together Bid Proposals and it's not fair to them if you waste their time by 'shopping' and price matching with other Contractors.If you 'bid shop' Contractor's numbers you are going to get a bad reputation, and you will have a hard time finding Contractors to bid your projects.Sure, you may save a few dollars upfront, but ultimately you are going to p*ss off a lot of contractors and potentially hurt your business long-term.

Sure your paper return numbers in the $60k area will look better, but the real life returns over time will often not match up because of dealing with that kind of tenant class over the years .

Also, review the closing documents to ensure that the tenants' security deposit is credited to you and that it matches what is in the lease agreement. 

If your tax preparer knows his/her stuff it will be displayed correctly and reported correctly on your return so you don't get a matching error. 

Stick with the plan and if it doesn’t match your ultimate “Long term Vision” stay away.