I just feel like I need to do something to appeal to the quality of tenant I'm trying to attract.

The quaint old hotel building was really cool and the location in the historic district of down town Helena made it very appealing.

What's around there which is appealing?

We purchased this old craftsman duplex in Chicago, rehabbing the inside to rent out- but wanted to see if anyone has ideas on how to increase the curb appeal on a budget. 

You then think you're doing them a factor offering them well below FMV so you can stick your margin in the deal.So instead of broadly advertising this in someplace where you could get a lot of people looking like MLS, you'll resort to cheesy hand-written letters or visually polluting road signs to cultivate a list. 

The main reason for waiting is that since I’m in CA, I’d have to pay an $800 a year franchise tax, which doesn’t sound too appealing when you only have a couple of properties that are cash flowing around a $100 a month.

Good ReviewsImportant as visuals are, good reviews remain an essential part of your marketing strategy.

However, SFR value tends to be driven more on location and emotional appeal in general.  

I’ll PM you pics of the bath so you can get a visual

As soon as your ejectment order is final and non-appealable (42 days after entry) then you should be able to quiet title immediately