It is the wild west with very high risk and even higher returns and I'm investing with a mix of pure speculation and dedicated research into each project and how competent the management team is and what problems they are solving in the world.

@Cherie Tormey, Accessing that equity is important in order to grow your portfolio and your return on investment.  1300/mo on $300K of equity is good in terms of pure numbers. 

This allows you to increase the value of your building without the emotional rollercoaster of the SF market that is based purely on emotional demand. 

I would check with your CPA but I would imagine you can write it off as a business expense if its purely a rental. 

@Trevor Aydelott Are you planning to do a house hack or just purely rental properties?

If they are purely cosmetic, I'd leave them off. 

If someone has experience on how much it costs since it is a purely non-payment of rent case, then that would be supertThanksAnl 

Not to be rude but I’ve met so many successful people that aren’t the smartest guy in the room but what separates them from the rest is purely action.

Since you're the Landlord, it's just a money shuffle, but it helps you remember that the roof over your head has value, you can better track numbers on the property as a pure investment, it helps you stay disciplined about setting aside money for the next investment, etc.How to calculate cash flow: https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

I have painted all of my houses pure white (eggshell sheen) for years now.