When you use a word like "necessary" you will not doubt get folks lined up on both sides of the issue. 

So this post is only tangentially related to investing, but I'm hoping folks here can still offer some guidance on a few questions I have.

Whether it is folks looting a Nieman Marcus store going unpunished or tenants not having to pay rent, to me it is the same ailment.

Curious to know how have folks tackled this part.

When I tell folks this, they never believe it.

I live in the Bay Area. I see many deals are positive cash flow (I guess the same in the other metropolitan areas such as NY, Miami, LA). I understand that income/ratio is better in areas like Texas, Midwest, etc. But...

Is there a localized property search website that folks use for the greater Charleston SC area? 

I have some experience in real estate, but no where close to other folks in the community.

All STR folks are doing it from a distance.

Since this is our first go around at house improvements and landlording, I thought this would be a good forum to pose the question to folks who've been doing this for a while.My main question is... how did/do you approach creating a timeline and budget for making certain updates while you're living inside the unit.