In addition the rent would likely increase after the rehab so that 500 cash flow would be more likely 6-800.

Increasing my cash flow monthly and taking advantage of appreciation in a couple of years

I don’t know why it has seen such an increase in price for the area.....

Now that I am a Realtor in Colorado, I am also required to disclose that on my listings as well that I have an ownership stake in a property in the advertisements.I also have not really seen a difference with the tenant's treatment of me as the property manager vs being the owner except one time a tenant did try to pressure me into paying for a silly upgrade saying that as the owner and I could afford it and the $100 month rent increase should pay for the new ceiling [The upgrade was to re-texture the whole ceiling of a 1000 sq foot apartment because it had swirls and minor hairline cracks (built in 1920) and this tenant did not like the swirls -- changing the swirls would cost thousands and not result in any more rent]

The letter would introduce me, the updated rate ($50-$100 increase depending on rate), and a brief explanation of my policies and procedures.

My husband and I currently have 5 rental properties in BC, Canada, and due to our Reno’s and recent price increases in the area, our equity has increased by approx 300K.

I know, it's crazy, but in this day and age we're really sick of sexual harassment and the smart women aren't putting up with it anymore. 

Have been running the numbers on a couple duplexes/4 plexes and looking into how I can potentially increase rents once I would take over a property.

It's not too much of a stretch to think this will increase the demand for housing just south of the border. 

Buy the house then wait for it to appreciate 20%The downside is it's highly speculative, it forces you to buy a retail home, provides no income in the meantime, and has high transactional costs.If you get the timing wrong and the market comes down, or the appreciation increase is slow, OR if you get that all to work and then cash out the house THEN the market comes down: you're stuck.