To what extent does landscaping typically add value to a property for the purposes of appraisal and re-financing, compared to other improvements? 

Clarity shows commitment and improves your chances of obtaining funding, whichever property you choose.

Focus on the value landlords bring through property improvements, market dynamics driving rents, and contributions to community revitalization.

One of the things you can start doing is reviewing your credit score and work on improving it if needed.

In my case, I wasn’t sure my land qualified because it was essentially my back yard, but because it was always a separate lot from my house, I was able to still do it because raw land without improvements on it is always considered investment property.

Let someone else buy the fringe areas and improve them first.To be direct, I can't imagine an appraiser using 5-year-old comps.

Your profit is the difference between your adjusted cost basis and your net sale.Adjusted cost basis is your cost of acquisition plus any capitalized improvements minus depreciation.It is very possible that you could sell a property you have refinanced and generate no cash at the sale but still have a big tax bill because you sell it for more than you purchased it for.

So adding one more unit to a duplex may deplete equity gain even if it improves cash flow over here. 

The city also seems to have many improvement plans in place to make the area more walkable and safer for citizens to freely navigate the downtown area and support local business.

We are getting ready for a comprehensive lease document update and it's an area I think we might be able to improve in our current documents.Thanks!