Increasing vacancy often means keeping rents low and offering concessions.And while you will sometimes see "merchant builder" developers self manage with their lean team to just get a deal ready to sell, this deal is managed by Willow Bridge, who manages 180,000 units.  

These forums are a great place to learn and meet people, whether you're just starting out or you're a seasoned investor.

We started out in a duplex and rented the upstairs apartment.

It depends on how it’s approached and why.As a start, you can skip trace the property.

Also the next time the tenant starts behaving unprofessionally, simply ask them to call you back once they've calmed down and hang up on them...or just hang up on them. 

I am looking to learn more about the Tri-cities area in Washington and possibly start up a relationship with a realtor that focuses on working with investors.

I suspect that the value added will not be much higher than hands off cost because there is few development costs higher than small units in small counts.   

Since I like wood working, and have made several cabinet boxes for other rentals that needed repair to match existing cabinets, I can always cut new sides & bottoms if/when the presswood starts to deteriorate, and reuse the frames & doors. 

We started buying single and multi-family properties for the cash flow.  

We concentrate on the subject property and the subject property only  I mean you start still listing documents - sure, vacant means no lease but plenty of DSCR Loans require leases / STR history.