I'm confident it is but I'm reaching out to see if I'm being practical. 

Can a property improvement under $2500 be written off in the year it occurs, even if the expense happens before a renter is put into the property?

We are beyond excited to improve the community and help out our locals!

. $20-30k in improvements based on a simple drive by viewing. 

Over two years, I've put $20,000 in equity into the house via paying down the principal (no improvements).

Hey @Nathan WiebeNever done that but maybe one possibility would be to have the US friend to be the mortgagor.He doesn't necessary need to be the owner and it doesn't mean that he is the one, in practice, who has to make the loan repayments.This setup involves a great degree of trust between the friend and the Canadian investor to the extend that it is questionable whether it is a good idea or not to set it up that way

Ultimately, my goal is to secure the house, so that we can move there once we close and refi into the VA mortgage once my score improves. 

Sometimes I visit if we do big improvements.

We are being told that it is standard practice to sign the following:Understanding Whom Real Estate Agents Represent - BuyingFlagship Communications Consent 1217Exclusive Buyer/Tenant Representation Agreement (MAR)Consent for Dual Agency (MREC)

We bought a nearby property and moved out.We're now trying to sell the property, but with close to $100k in non-house improvements (well, electric service, house pad, barn/workshop, fencing, etc.) it's a tough deal for a traditional lender to process.