If you can find micro-markets in Cleveland that can sustain it, it is still possible to take a property and breathe new life into it and make a pretty penny. 

I’ve been playing this game a long time and have NEVER paid a penny in brokerage fees when I was the buyer.

We are doing a light rehab by putting laminate flooring, new countertops, painted kitchen cabinets, replaced some interior doors, rehabbed the porch, and gave it a new coat of paint.

Clients that are penny wise, pound foolish. 

The rest of the house is copper.  

We also had one where the evap coil was literally coated in nicotine so was not performing effectively.

In addition to new carpet and paint throughout (which are due anyway), he's recommending a thorough TSP cleaning of all walls, triple coats of special primer, and replacing the kitchen tile.

The cost of getting it coated over and over you are going to pay for a new tub one way or the other.

If there are more profitable ways to spend your time--looking for new deals, meeting with potential lending partners, etc--then don't step over dollars to save pennies.

My goal is not to pinch pennies, it's to manage my property well without letting costs get out of control.