Is the old adage that landscaping doesn't get any ROI in a middle-class market still true?

If they're not familiar then it's your chance to get your foot in the door by bringing 1031 education to them.It's been a few years since I checked but at one time NAR showed statistics that of all the transactions potentially qualifying for 1031 exchanges, only about 10% were actually handled that way. 

I'd like to get some ideas about the current landscape of commercial real estate. 

@Kyle Carter we manage around 700 doors, with 92 of them being S8.When S8 applicants are properly screened, they can statistically perform a decent amount better than cash-tenants.

Things like landscaping/snow removal and labor cost for repairs are going to be highly variable based on your market so you'd need to do your own research on the going rate by either talking to other local investors, running your own google search, or exploring basic services on thumbtack/angies list etc. 

I have almost an acre and would love to get some upgrades done on the electrical and start specking out an ADU but because of my experiences so far with everyone from electricians to handymen to landscapers I'm holding back for a while.

Mainly I’m trying to avoid “aged poorly design” glassblock walls, small bedrooms, older windows (wood/aluminum, single pane), aluminum patio covers, and to a lesser extent landscaping.

Check Mexico's tourism statistics.

That means if you could get $6,250/mo, have zero repairs, zero maintenance, zero capex, zero vacancy, provide zero lawn/snow/landscaping, pay zero utilities, and pay zero management.

We do nice kitchens and stainless appliances, have cleaning service, pest control, landscaping and address any maintenance issues immediately.