I think its very interesting to see developers like National Real Estate who are wrapping up the 15 story development on 2nd and Spring Garden saying their next project on Spring Garden is simple a matter of time.

At some point, either after a 3-5 year single tenant stay or after x number of tenants, you do have to spend a decent amount of funds to keep a property looking "fresh" enough to get +95% of market rent..

The only upgrade I made to the condo while there was a fresh paint job that was done by my generous brother-in-law FOR FREE (minus materials) and the epoxy I handled myself in the garage.

Fresh coat of paint, new LVP flooring, landscaping, fixtures, some basic service, and deep cleaning- It was a total of $14,091, and it was from my pocket.

 If I could go all the way back to the years when I was fresh out of college and start over knowing what I know now, I would actually go to grad school then start a career in a field that I enjoy working in that also pays well. 

Bathrooms are actually the best to put more money into then the kitchen, because people want a bathroom to feel fresh and clean.

My purely hypothetical car wash mortgage client has 3 vending machines full of vastly overpriced car detailing stuff (next to a physical bulletin board showcasing some shiny freshly detailed sexy cars...), and one with snacks at normal vending machine markups (buys either at Costco, or whatever he finds on sale).GL.

In Chicago, there are quite a few buildings with illegal garden units, and I thought it might be possible to live in one of those while I'm trying to make it legal with the city but would that be against FHA guidelines or conventional loan requirements?

You could put the garden hose in and see if it drains nicely.

It’s fresh, no wear and tear, etc and the market is high right now as to home prices, etc.I think you need to ask yourself if you want to be a landlord or not.