If they have trouble with making rental payments, they need to start improving their skills and look for a higher paying job or double down and get two jobs.

While it's positive after expenses and has potential for improvement in year two, it’s been a bigger hassle than anticipated and taking attention from other priorities and areas of our life with not enough return. 

You could do the upgrades then rent out the units or sell after you made the improvements.

Basic staging with an agent usually means they give you insight into how you should:Declutter and depersonalize by removing photos and personal itemsArrange your furniture to improve the room’s flow and make it feel biggerAdd plants, move art, or re-arrange other accessoriesFull-service staging is another option if your house needs more hands-on attention.

.- After closing, you can do some of the work yourself to save money, but the program doesn't allow you to pay yourself.You will want to buy a Class B property, maybe Class C+, in an area that seems to be improving.

Our house down there is the same way, with a metal roof, open air, then a concrete floor or roof above our 2nd floor living quarters. 

I would use the income to slowly improve the house and once you get it to a good spot, HELOC out some money for a down payment on another place rinse and repeat. 

The cash flow improves quickly, but the cash flow is so negative on retail purchases that it will take years to reach cash neutral.  

The problem is these homes are 60-120 years old and because of the low value neighborhoods, nobody has ever made any capital improvements beyond duct tape.

Repairing/improving to sell.