When I list properties in more affordably priced areas, I almost always recommend against over renovating and instead have clients focus on neutral paint schemes, vinyl plank floors, etc. 

Assuming you are cashflow positive or neutral in your first purchase. 

I am buying at HD in the AM and I am not sure how dark "dark grout" is.Tile is off-white porcelain 12x24 neutral/slightly warm.

Keeping a neutral asset for probable appreciation is not a bad thing. 

Black, red and white(neutral) laying around and just used it and capped the red.

In my ideal world, this is kind of a neutral investment - I get some use out of it, but more or less I'd land even in what I would pay potentially on say an 80k refinanced mortgage down the road and AirBnb income.So yeah, thanks all for listening to me blab. 

Beautiful neutral options are Calacatta Laza, Calacatta Gold, or Statuario.

Specifically, looking to build wealth/income via the 3 core benefits of RE investing: 1) cashflow (feel quite strongly that things need to cashflow neutral and more than likely positive from the onset) 2) appreciating over the long-term (I understand boom and bust cycles will come) 3) Having tenants pay down debt to create equity.Syndication - this is something I have lightly looked into but based on everything I have seen the return are good (6-10%) but not as strong as they could be if I do this myself.

To be cash neutral, this would need rents approaching $6k/month. 

Personally, we are willing to accept cashflow neutral in a good neighborhood of a high appreciation market, but not negative cashflow.