On the brighter side of things, 1) I don't have any student loans to pay off, 2) I live rent-free with my parents, and 3) today's my 25th birthday.

Then he flashed his flashlight.

This will be a good way to see what the tenants are like and you can ask them if there is anything that needs repaired and/or wrong with the place.Take a flashlight and look in the attic and under the house for signs of water damage. 

Rehabbed a house  there was a hole in the roof and while in the attic with a flashlight I had a reflection .....eyes .....

Do I need to get a flashlight to illuminate the areas I'm taking a picture of?

Flashlight for sure.Maybe a tape measure and some screwdrivers?

The way I see it, folks with good earning potential are in a good position to crank and grind while they are young for a brighter future which can come sooner rather than later.

Normal people expect rent increases, everything goes up.The TWO biggest things that ensure a buy and hold investor a brighter financial future is knowing that over the long term your mortgage on the property will stay the same but the rent you bring in will go up.

Making the unit look bigger or brighter in photos doesn't always servce.

it can be as simple as subway tiles with a strip of glass mosaic running through and it gives a higher end appearance to the kitchen while only costing a couple hundred bucks to do.they make led under cabinet lights that you simply touch by hand and they attach with a magnet so they can even be pulled off to use like a flashlight.