Let's set aside the obvious answer of, "Don't buy the rental if you can't see the inside and/or talk to the tenants first." because on curb offers you aren't allowed inside until you have an accepted offer.  

following as well -- the market boosted like crazy down in Disney area -- I've been eyeing Windsor Hills in Kissimmee to purchase a condo/townhouse, love that place

Great deal for me because it helps boost my savings while teaching me about the business at the same time!

if the facility is in potowatomee IL, then acquire potowatomeeSelfStorage.com, change the name of the facility, and boost your rankings without shelling out a huge amount of $ in Google ads. 

The house needs asbestos siding and wood lap siding striped and new siding put on in order to have good curb appeal.

I'd also like to echo the sentiment of others in saying that it would be better if you just invest in a REIT or CD (chosen based on your appetite for risk) until you're back...BUT, and this is a big BUT, I feel that instead of investing money over the next 3 months, you should invest your time into learning about REI & read books that will help give you a great confidence boost and "success mentality".

Curb appeal can work wonders and can be done cheaply.

I have found it typical for Owner's to pay for landscaping ($60-$100/mo) if they care about the curb-appeal of their rentals.

And the investor’s capital plus gain can be cycled into the next deal at a higher basis which further leverages their return, so the long term folks really can have their cake and eat it too.While one solution for longer terms is to do a cash out refinance, it is done to boost the investor’s return, minimize their downside risk, and return capital.  

In the long run it can actually boost appreciation because supply is so limited.