Paint, increased closet sizes, added major curb appeal with wood retaining wall and landscaping, repaired a pergola, new fixtures and lighting throughout.

You should have also been credited on your closing statement for any deposits and rent retained by the owner.If the tenants truly pay for the previous month and are on month-to-month oral leases, give them proper notice that you are terminating that lease, and if they want to stay establish a new lease where they pay at the beginning of the period like 99% of the population.

Other things I've been wondering about:Monthly retainers: How much are people paying per month?

If you are unable to provide me with proof or do not retain records of such authorization, please promptly remove the inquiry from my credit report (name which credit bureau) and send me written confirmation of the removal.Thank you for your timely reply.Sincerely,Joe Consumer This should fix your problem.

Those last 2 you can help by doing a good job screening and retaining tenants.

I remember those days.Now I just let it pile up as retained earnings in my mgt corp. 

My house is in middle of a hill, so the backyard was unusable being just a hill that's maybe around 30 degree angle so I put a short retaining wall about 2 .5 feet tall so I could flatten out the area close to my house, I added dirt, cat 5 gravel. and did a bunch of pavers, I also added concrete stairs, going down the hill that sit directly on the hill. 

If the tenants aren't a pain and you'd just as soon keep the properties instead of trading them up, it's also nice that Fannie no longer caps you at four financed properties if you want to pull that equity out but retain ownership.

The only reason I am not now is that we are at the top of the market cycle and my company is not buying SFR rentals, therefore not subscribing to data services or retaining legal services for acquisitions.

Segmented / accelerated deprectaion - many investors will look to sell after the accelerated deprecation is completed.aggressively set basis - limiting value of land Repair vs renovation expenses Self manage vs property managerKid labor  - pay own kid to mow the lawn, etcexpenses associated with buying and owning propertyChapter S vs LLC - you can pay yourself as an employee and retain earnings within the entity.1031 exchange - It is a tough thing to make happen.