Below's a link to a great article about the commitment Memphis is making to improve quality of life for its citizens by significantly upgrading the 4,500-acre Shelby Farms Park (http://www.shelbyfarmspark.org/).Memphis Daily News - Urban Treasure: Shelby Farms Park expansion enhances natural beauty Can't wait till it's finished!

Bring out the pictures from when you bought the place as your basis of the condition o the property (unless the prior owner provided with a move-in inspection)Dirt and or broken is not wear and tear, but carpet & paint will wear over time, so that would be owner responsibilty. 

I don't want to spend unnecessary money on upgrades in rental properties so what is the standard upgrades in rental properties?

This includes a fully furnished apartment with flat screen TV, sofa/love seat, full kitchen with upgrades, desk/bed in each room with walk-in closets in each room.  

Then when you turn them down you can simple state that the owner is not approving the upgrade. 

It became sticky. and went into winter where I had to continue to supply utilities and limited to doing the plumbing and heating upgrades needed to flip.

If they like the area the area they might sell to upgrade but owner financing would be unappealing.  

Check as mentioned the path to and through the house and any possible areas for broken pipes (pin hole leaks, etc).

Consider this, if you are looking at older homes they may need upgrades per building codes, especially if you intend to eventually sell.  

Quicken, Excel and a wall covered with white boards are my only tools today and I feel that I am not keeping up.I am seriously considering making the move to Quickbooks, but in a prior career I was a software consultant and I can't help but be skeptical of how much value will Quickbooks bring to the table considering the purchase cost, education, set-up consultations, hardware upgrades, security, etc...Currently reading "The Real Estate Investor's Pocket Calculator" and trying to decifer which calculations I should be using to evaluate my properties and make better decisions regarding improvements and rents.I am VERY OPEN MINDED and WILLING to investigate any direction or leads you might suggest regarding software and/or services to help me get my business optimized (or at least running more efficiently with better data).