No worries I am the same way in that I would want my rentals to be nice enough for me to live in but at end of day its still a business and sometimes I have to tell myself that.For example last weekend while I was at HomeDepot they had a sale in sensor lighting for outdoor.

don't fall in love, don't personalize. we built equity and sold it quickly by staging with our own furniture.

If a tenant disappears and leaves furniture, etc, behind, you can't simply trash the stuff.

I'd consider getting rid of or restricting outdoor faucets.

A friend had been hyping me up to do this adult obstacle course with him for weeks . . . it was going to be one of those cool outdoor places where you're climbing, crawling through the mud and so on.

The charity mentor has been to the property to measure for furniture.

Also depending on how much stuff (furniture etc...) you already have and how much you like it I would also advice getting a storage unit close by and keeping everything there until the rehab is done.

Started a post on this today:http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/87/topics/92730-app-that-tracks-outdoor-marketing-bandit-signsfinallyNo more guesswork involved with putting up signs...it's all documented in realtime online with this tool (time, location, and an actual picture of the sign).

This is a combination of listing design (layout, quality furniture, amenities, themed spaces), marketing (professional photos, social media, extremely open communication with guests), and the use of pricing software to increase overall occupancy.

When I moved in and started using the house, I noticed there weren't water lines hooked up to the outdoor spigot or to the dishwasher.