I have a house with a lot of brown (floors, cabinets, some paneling that I am too cheap/lazy to paint) and the Agreeable Grey just didn't look right.

I have had to answer the infamous late night roof leaking phone calls, and dealt with: leaking toilets, leaking water mains, faulty electrical panels, broken water heaters, broken furnaces, underground oil tanks, troublesome septic systems, late rents, tenants dog eating the walls, unresponsive tenants and every other real or imagined rental horror story that people who are either too afraid or unwilling to, use as an excuse not to invest.

Pest control and solar panels can also be very lucrative door to door .

Because within the first 2 years of buying these properties I had roofs, HVAC, electrical panels ($2000), moldy bathrooms ($3000), rotting tree removal ($1100),  make ready whenever there is turnover (as much as $1500) ,toilets ($600), etc...so many capex or maintenance costs it has wiped more than a year's worth cash flow easily in some properties.REALITY CHECK: Cash flow sucks.  

Well, he didn't notice corroded coils which are leaking chemicals and mold that are extremely obvious even to the untrained eye when peeling the panel off. 

Before shot of the back of the extension with some wood panelling from the top floor.

A lot of the 2-4 unit properties in Cicero are due for a service upgrade, new panels and many of them also are full of cloth wiring that needs to be removed.

Instead of flailing with all that, I'll get good at finding deals and/or raising capital (or both), so I can add value to them, also.OK now, sure, I can still deal with proven contractors for small jobs, floors, electrical panel, roof repair, painting or whatnot -- I kinda grimace and get through that, for a buy & hold that is almost rent ready, but that's about it. 

Q: Do you need a permit for such minimal square footage, solar panels, water barrel, septic tanks?

One client I worked with found a nice house and her "contractor" said she needed a new electric panel and a new air-conditioner and quoted her prices about double what I pay.