They are dealing with more lease turnover caused by deaths of residents, high labor expenses for different levels of care (IL / AL / MC), as well as finding employees that want to do this work.

Since I am selling a primary residence, I don’t think I can utilize the 1031 to save money on taxes.

We lived in it as a single family residence and over the years of things that looked like they had been renovated started failing… we realized the owner before seemed to have a slap it together cheaply himself mentality.

Personally, I've seen tenants granted a continued occupancy/renewal of their lease for the following:(1) threatening other tenants/neighbors with physical harm(2) dealing drugs out of the apartment with children residing in the same building(3) discharging a firearm on the premises(4) refusing entry to the landlord/his agent for necessary repairsAnd I am sure there are many other examples of bad behavior that the property owner is powerless to react to.

Here’s some advice to help you get started on the right foot in the Austin market:Understand the Market: Austin is a dynamic and competitive market with a mix of tech-driven professionals, students, and long-term residents.

@Andrew Steffens, fair enough, but with a lower entry point, higher appreciation rates than most small cities (it has 100,000+ residents, which is not little), great MTR-LTR metrics, and nearby well-performing regional attractions, it has a lot of data pointing to it having a shot at success. 

I notify the residents that we're coming by for some repairs.  

The county has no zoning board, there’s no HOA, and the original developer, who was the enforcer, is no longer residing in the state….so my understanding is the only enforcer would be a disgruntled neighbor that filed a civil suit.

I also HELOC'd my primary resident and then took out personal loans to fund the improvements.

It's our primary residence.