A simple clean out of the drain tube and problem solved.

I tried searching for this topic but had mixed results on the site, not sure if there's any simple tips/tricks to it as i'm guessing this is only the 1,000,000th time this question has been asked...Thanks!

as simple as it sounds I live in a market where people are paying way over asking price yes Dallas and the city at that, I spent months looking and one days I went to my boss and he mentioned someone he knew selling a home at that i could obtain a better price than if I were just buying from any random person in this market.

Being as the audience seems to be college students I'm sure referring them to DIY you tube videos on basic household maintenance would be a hit.

Taking out trees or thinning is not an option so I am looking for a simple ground cover solution that won't require a bunch of TLC from the tenants.  

Simple right!  

My key areas of rejections are: any past eviction in last 7 years, past due car payments, judgements/bankruptcies , utilities in collections, address/social security mismatches(I've caught a lot of scammers this way), fake landlord references(usually caught through simple county searches).

Many OOS investors set themselves up for failure because they don't truly take the time to understand:1) The Class of the NEIGHBORHOOD they are buying in - which is relative to the overall area.2) The Class of the PROPERTY they are buying - which is relative to the overall area.3) The Class of the TENANT POOL the Neighborhood & Property will attract - which is relative to the overall area.4) The Class of the CONTRACTORS that will work on their Property, given the Neighborhood location - which is relative to the overall area.5) The Class of the PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANIES (PMC) that will manage their Property, given the Neighborhood location and the Tenants it will attract - which is relative to the overall area.6) That OOS property Class rankings are usually vastly different than the local market they live in.7) That a Class X NEIGHBORHOOD will have mostly Class X PROPERTIES, which will only attract Class X TENANTS, CONTRACTORS AND PMCs and deliver Class X RESULTS.8) Class A is relatively easy to manage, can even be DIY remote managed from another state.9) Class B usually also okay, but needs more attention from owner and/or PMC10) Class C can be relatively successful with a great PMC (do NOT hire the cheapest!)

I would've like to make my case of being grandfathered in for the simple fact that the previous owner (whom is close to 80 years of age and self managed as Owner Occupied for over 35 years) had tried in the past:  1st - To reduce taxes because it's listed as a 3 & 2 but then the tax site has it as 6+ and when the old man had them visit the buildings they seen 7 mailboxes that USPS installed( so he decided to stay shut and not pursue it) 2nd- The 2 family already had 3 gas meters and even a fire escape because the 3rd floor studio apartment only has access thru back door.The front building has 4 gas meters, 1st floor, 2nd floor, 3rd floor and one for the front Studio apartment (which is like a basement apartment) but its street level with main entrance off sidewalk. 

Many OOS investors set themselves up for failure because they don't truly take the time to understand:1) The Class of the NEIGHBORHOOD they are buying in - which is relative to the overall area.2) The Class of the PROPERTY they are buying - which is relative to the overall area.3) The Class of the TENANT POOL the Neighborhood & Property will attract - which is relative to the overall area.4) The Class of the CONTRACTORS that will work on their Property, given the Neighborhood location - which is relative to the overall area.5) The Class of the PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANIES (PMC) that will manage their Property, given the Neighborhood location and the Tenants it will attract - which is relative to the overall area.6) That OOS property Class rankings are usually vastly different than the local market they live in.7) That a Class X NEIGHBORHOOD will have mostly Class X PROPERTIES, which will only attract Class X TENANTS, CONTRACTORS AND PMCs and deliver Class X RESULTS.8) Class A is relatively easy to manage, can even be DIY remote managed from another state.9) Class B usually also okay, but needs more attention from owner and/or PMC10) Class C can be relatively successful with a great PMC (do NOT hire the cheapest!)