The cash-flow is probably not worth the hassle if tenants are hard on the property. 

Is it worth it for someone like me who hasn't done any deals yet, but is going to be making offers on my 1st investment property in the spring?

Atlanta is a strong multi-family market with a diverse economy, a growing population, and increasing demand for rental properties.

That said, weigh the cost of renovations against the potential increase in appraisal.

I'm in Peter's course and maybe it is different for me but I get my 10k back after doing a deal(s) worth $500k which is easy to do really.. feeling close to getting that done in the next few months.

As everyone is getting for the holidays to ramp up and the new year to turn, I want to give some insight into a simple thing that me and my team have been doing to increase our ROI by about 10-15% each month.  

HELOCs on investment properties can be tricky since many traditional banks don’t offer them, but some lenders, and some local credit unions might be worth checking out.

Perhaps if your partner was a general contractor or handyman type there may be some merit there to reduce costs / increase profitability.If your partner enjoys deal sourcing, a better move might be for him to become an agent - so he could legally collect commissions from finding deals and managing properties for multiple people. 

As a major buyer in San Antonio, Dallas/ Fort Worth, and Houston, one challenge I often face is the limited inventory or lack of serious deals that come my way.

Nothing worth it is every easy when you start out....if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.