They get that high efficiency from a Lot of sensitive, expensive components. 

One component of that score is going to be tenant history.

CPTED.... crime prevention through environmental design.... good ideas for making properties less prone to crime.....worth looking into.We had a tenant who wanted a deck (wood) added to the back of the house he was renting from us, we approved it (in writing) and the tenant paid for it and did all the work (he was skilled at making decks).

Brian's firm among others can help with that.If you are eligible for the Solo 401k, you can avoid a custodian altogether as well as pick up many other benefits that IRAs cannot offer such as participant loan provisions, unrelated debt financed income tax exemptions, and built-in Roth components.

Does anyone know of any "Green" Eco-friendly communities anywhere in the US or beyond? Beyond solar panel roofs, I'm interested in investing in a conscious community, perhaps LEED certified for example.Ideally a place...

to me criteria for ranking rental investments opportunities between different areas can be understood by looking into the components of the net rental yield:rental gross incomevacancy rateexpenses, local and state taxesrental income and vacancy rate evolution will be influenced by demographics: whether population increases and how median income moves.

It's a business purchase with a real estate component. 2) I would recommend that you highly scrutinize the seller's NOI. ask for 24-36 months back of leases, income statements and matching bank deposit to prove the income/expense used to reach the NOI.

Having to only focus on interior components is huge.  

Just do not make stuff up or otherwise claim an environmental disaster unless you are willing to disclose what you 'know' when it comes time to sell.John Corey

There is a supply/demand component to a market and there is a speculative component.