He thanked me for all the effort I had done cleaning up the place and that the property looked better then he had ever seen in it and he had grown up there and been on the police force for over 15 years. 

An investor is using their money (cost to PM) to buy time (to spend with family, etc.).An employee/worker is using their time to buy money.One of the great models is to be the worker until everything is wonderful (saving lots of money by spearheading those efforts) and then move into the role of investor and only manage the managers.What are your personal goals?

The current owner is part of the problem, and should not benefit from your efforts to make it a more valuable business.

When you put little effort into real estate - like having a realtor find your rentals, then you are going to have minimal results - like the deal above!

@Richard C. sometimes you have to just see when your advice is not wanted, even if it is good and divert your efforts in another direction. 

I like to see cut grass during the summer, raked leaves during the winter, and I especially like if they have taken the time and effort to plant shrubs, plants and flowers.

... and, what would be the effort to train your tenants to use it?

Asking if this is realistic, is hard for anyone to answer except you, because no one actually knows your drive and your willingness to put the effort forward to achieve the results you desire."

I find that the majority of real estate investments that make a lot of money take time and effort. 

The reason that agents spend so much time per deal is that they have to put a lot of effort acquiring clients...because there are so many agents...because the compensation is so high...see where this is going?