That said, there are always people looking to rent and I have attracted some strong multi year tenants in the winter.

If "ride it out" is more attractive than a short sale, could your friend move back into the home?

Thus insert my idea to direct mail to multi-family’s that could potentially work well; the catch is, I wouldn’t have the cash offer, so often seen on direct mailings, and that’s seemingly the most attractive selling point.

;Roth IRA funds are not subject to requirement minimum distributions (RMDs);The fair market value (FMV) of assets held in a self-directed IRA is reported on form 5498;The fair market value of assets held in a solo 401k are reported on Form 5500-EZ;At termination, the solo 401k is required to file a final Form 5500-EZ and 1099-R; andAt termination, the self-directed IRA is only required to file a form 1099-R.With respect to converting pretax funds to Roth funds, Roth funds grow tax-free so that is very attractive.

But to add to that, putting the funds towards a patio or bbq/entertaining area in the back yard has had a great impact on attracting tenants in my experience.

Any advertising you do to attract tenants can be deducted as an expense.  

I would talk to some note investors to find out what they like to see in that kind of note to make it an attractive purchase so you can get those types of provisions in your arrangement if you decide to go that route.

It seems that the LIHTC's and NMTC would be an attractive combination for some of the larger lenders.

Use the right keywords that will attract buyers and sellers. 

Depending on the size of the rental in the South the HVAC efficiency is attractive to new renters.