In general, do landlords of single-family homes pre-emptively make major repairs as items get close to the end of their expected life?

It's not the model for everyone, but if you're an independent kind of person like me, a flat fee or transaction based brokerage could be a good situation for you.

The KEY is that the brokers/agents who are excellent at what they do PICK WHO they work with and not the other way around.When you have a certain business model as a broker/agent you screen potential clients for a match.People who suck away all of your time, do not follow direction, and do not respect the profession do not even get past the first phase of screening.

Matt another item overlooked in insurance on the building.

Buy well rehabbed properties where capital expenses will not be incurred during the first several years and pay attention to the little things as those are the items that kills your cash flow.

Once you have these items checked, you will have access to all the cash buyers!

However, would you say that appraisers primarily use the comparison model for residential and only tend to gravitate towards the income model for commercial? 

You will want to account for these items although it was still rehabbed.

I consider the score and the items on the score, along with stability of job and level of income as a whole.

I buy, fix up (if needed), and rent out as my preferred model.