They also have control boards to run all the fancy features which are a couple hundred bucks when they fail and the machines are labor intensive to work on.

Framing out existing glass bathroom mirrors or removing the frameless mirrors and using hanging mirrors also is not very expensive but can dress things up.

My parents were not paying for my housing, so I would take a cheaper non-updated house over an expensive fancy one any day.

This does not mean spending a ton on the rehab for fancy fixtures and finishes.

Some folks can't even touch all the fancy ones going up these days.

**  I never managed before but I inherited my 1st tenant on Friday after closing.So when I go to find a tenant for the lower unit, my red flags would be: In Person: Condition of the vehicle: Junk pouring out of the car (wrappers, empty drinks, etc), how they dress (wrinkly clothing?)

Every development (or deal) has it's own unique problems and my fancy spreadsheet underestimated costs by almost 1 million dollars.

Sure you can purchase the big expense software programs because, as you said, your inner self loves the big fancy stuff, and so do I. 

I fancy myself as a buy and hold strategy. 

If you want to get fancy, color code the pins to represent: Red - Fixer/Bad House, Green/Offer Made - Good HouseOvertime you will have a detailed map of your area so you will know exactly which neighborhoods fit your criteria and which areas to stay away from.Happy Hunting!