The advantage to this is time and it shows the contractors you are looking for a competitive bid. also by having your appliance, lights and plumbing fixture needs in place this will give you a more accurate bid and not an allowance which will always be low.At this time collect their references, then call the references.

Same for HVAC, water heaters, paint, appliances, etc, etc.  

Here is an example from our rental agreement that outlines some of how we do this:MAINTENANCE OF PREMISES.Landlord will maintain all electrical, plumbing, heating, and other facilities and appliances supplied by Landlord in good working order.Landlord will perform periodic inspections of the premises, no less than once a year, for the purpose of property maintenance and repair.Landlord will notify Tenant in advance of the inspection.

I store spare appliances in a storage building. 

Stainless steel appliances. 

. $750 of that payment goes towards condo HOA dues, property taxes, mortgage interest, & hazard insurance... the rest goes towards principal.The condo would rent for $1,500/month (I've realistically compared it to similar condos).I don't anticipate any major repairs/upgrades anytime soon... the HVAC, appliances, & windows were recently replaced, there's new paint throughout, & refinished hardwood floors.Does it make sense to rent the condo out or sell it?

@Chris Martin  I think the lenders think that the market is hot enough in certain areas that they can get away with selling the asset with hold over owner still in possession.. they do divulge that on their auction site.. its always a crap shoot though.. and when I was buying court house steps props  we bought many with owner still in possession... its the risk you run.I have had them leave and the home was spotless and I have had them leave and take everything with them including cabinets all appliances fixtures HVAC  basically left us a shell LOL...

In addition, I bought all new appliances because the ones the home came with were really old and some were not working at all( the refrigerator was not cooling).

-you need to make the stock/units tough/reliable/nice at the same time (tough and reliable means less maintenance headaches later down the road)-you need to standardize your units (paint/faucets/vanity/cabinets/etc etc)-you need to have contacts with all major new/used appliances stores/dealers in the area-the way to a woman's heart is nice bathrooms and kitchens!

If you own a property for 27.5 years, chances are you'll have replaced the roof, heating system, appliances, remodeled, etc. all of which you'll depreciate.But you are right that chances are by the time the original building deprecation is done at 27.5 years of owning the property that you'll most likely show higher taxable income.