Also, you are totally right, I will approach this one rental at a time to both improve my skills and check is this is for me.

Something happens in there job, your head could be the price of there career improvement. 

Time saving in property acquisition, building improvements, purchasing living units, etc.3.

•Target a property in the $800K–$1M range to maximize leverage while keeping costs manageable.2.Open a Second LLC:•Create a new LLC for this property acquisition to separate liabilities and maintain a clean structure.3.Assign Funds & Organize Finances:•Allocate funds to property improvements, marketing for new deals, and reserves for emergencies.

Our average construction time is about 8 months after permit is issued and we  are always improving.

Replacing countertops, though, is a capital improvement and usually has to be capitalized and depreciated over time.

Are there certain things that you may be able to improve quickly and cheaply to assuage fears of some buyers?

See what they do right, and find areas you can improve upon then make the jump.

Given current market conditions for sale and improving demographics, syndicator is planning on holding longer than anticipated.  

I haven't spent a ton of money overall on improvements.