Sign content can arguably be protected by the First Amendment, so whether you have a political sign, a home-based business, a for sale sign, or a bandit sign, some cities are going "content neutral".

I am looking for sub 700k 2 or 3 family where I could be cash flow positive or at least neutral.

If you are working with a local hard money lender they will generally have a local title company that they have done multiple deals with.If making sure there is a reputable title company involved, why then would the HML title company be used instead of one that is neutral between both parties?

The color is neutral and looks nice and goes with everything and now I don't have to even think about paint color.For kitchen and bathroom, I use ceramic tile and it's the same tile that goes in each house.

Here the cops and a neutral storage company will come and clear out the stuff in the apartment and put it in storage at the tenant's cost. 

Should I put in the time and/or money to paint the entire unit a neutral color, or should I leave it as is and allow the tenant to paint if they wish?

Have the property appraised by a neutral party and figure out what the additional value of having to schlep out of there is to you.

I would stain it dark and neutralize the wall color.

We expect lay-off to pick up a little this year and more next year.As J Martin above, our market will likely continue to go up but at a decreasing rate until it gets to neutral before turning negative.

Personally, if a property were truly cash flow neutral after ALL expenses were factored conservatively and I had significant value add opportunity that had some profit built into my purchase day 1, sure, I'd consider it.