@Shayne Mahoney  I don't do a lot of rentals, but as a MA Realtor (and as a landlord) it is highly illegal to discriminate against a potential renter because they receive any form of public assistance.If you look at the crime heat maps on Trulia (about the only thing it's good for), you can get the lay of the land. 

The barn is not fully insulated and doesn’t have heat, so in Michigan, that leaves only about 6-7 months of wedding opportunity. 

Brand new cabinetsBrand new graniteQuick Bench (LOVE this in small apartments)Egress WindowNew wall heater (also has central heat but it's controlled on first floor)New baseboards and quarter round installA couple thoughts I had after the project was done. 

Roof, Electric, Plumbing, Central air/heat recently done (3 yrs approx).

We want to rent the 2nd unit and move into the 1st unit which is a a two bedroom 1 full bathroom.We are currently doing some renovations to the 1st unit to make it polished for us to live in comfortably.Eventually, we both want to go our separate ways purchasing our own second homes and making our shared inherited property entirely a rental to help pay for our own ventures.We are both first time homeowners and learning as we go and happy to have stumbled upon this site.Although we paid off the mortgage of the home, it needs some renovations to get it up to date and fresh looking to attract renters.We recently updated the heating systems to high efficiency tankless combination units.However, that was a huge financial investment on our part and are looking to keep our spending down to what is essential, but will help get the house great looking for renters.Any advice on how to maximize our rental profits in this kind of scenario?

I'm noticing that heating and hot water in places like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Chicago, Ohio, are a large part of those expenses.

I did some research and sounds like it might just be the heating elements?

Purchase price: $65,000 Cash invested: $10,000 single family built in 1952 all brick 3 bedrooms 1bathroom .21 acre +-hardwood floors heating and air conditioning no garage What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

Property owners typically cover water and sometimes heat.

In case it's helpful, the property is a SFH row home in Philly, approx. 1200 sq ft.I don't have much experience with the heating / HVAC repairs so appreciate any guidance.