Our attorney told me just return the money as the brain damage of going to court and potentially losing (court is really just rolling the dice - small claims court is not about justice and the law but what the "judge" thinks is "fair") is not worth the possible gain.We always sign a lease and any funds paid are first applied to rent and the SD is collected last.

If you were going to just do a remodel like a flip and not add living space I would say that would not get you more money.

Your knowledge shows your experience In 2002 I founded a fund to invest in hard money loans that I originated.  

A few other things I'm considering;- I don't need the extra cash flow to live and am just approaching it to remove the high mortgage interest, but also hedge risk that the current stocks might tank in a few years.- Could take all current cash flow and a few thousand a year to pay off the property in 5-10 years.- Hold for a bit and 1031 into something else but am fairly confident there is not much appreciation to come on this property.

I buy my STR's for fun so that I have cool places I want to go to for my family that pay for themselves and make some money.

There needs to be more and more money circulated now that our currency is not backed by anything.

Unfortunately, most hard money lenders do not have loan products for maintenance funds/expenses. 

It’s like everyone’s telling you to go left, then right, then left again.But let’s get back to basics: money is made on the buy—meaning, the discount you get when purchasing a property.

Your Position: You are the buyer, and you control where you invest your time and money.

At this level of scale, it is almost the same as running an extra unit.