Although I am outside of my comfort zone and feel like an absolute tool (I'm lost and that's uncomfortable), my faith, drive, and want to achieve my family and life goals continues to motivate me to get outside of my comfort zone and push for continuous improvement.  

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

This of course depends on your starting bank roll - but if its like mine (under 100k) - Im trying to put as little as possible into it on top of initial equity and fees.this will likely chew a big hole in your ROI  (now if you are looking to improve value with a cash out refi or a great prospect comes along that needs combo new plumbing, roof, windows, foundation repair, etc - well just make sure you know what youre getting into and/or have a good contractor and finger on the pulse of the market when estimating the ARV YOURSELF - couple missed items and you risk having a bad first investment and not doing it again).    7) dont be scared be ambitious ( i should heed my own advice sometimes) 8) define numbers goals within your target areas.  

But I also sometimes think owning only 1 property in LA would be less stressful and a more reasonable mortgage payment would improve my quality of life.

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

Ideally AI could improve the property analytics that shape listing prices, a competitive advantage over other brokers.

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

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

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

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.