After closing the buyer had the carpet cleaned, at which time he discovered the home had less square footage than advertised.

. :-) Comfortable and clean.

Weeding thru the ones to make sure they have money for a deposit and that they will be able to clean up their credit and qualify is the bigger problem.

Will you pay yourself $15 for a can light installation where you have to remove, drill holes, locate attic studs, secure junction boxes, assemble and install lights, clean-up debris, and paint if needed?

If you buy a property that is distressed (REO, short sale, redemption, etc) or in bad or dated condition, you should be able to increase the value of the property by cleaning it up, paint, carpet, and other repairs.  

This is the property in question: https://goo.gl/qjnBJK The top maintenance items are: cleaning up after tenants move out (paint, carpet cleaning), monthly landscaping ($90), and a smattering of appliance repairs.  

I hate to not return deposits for tenants that were generally very good, however it probably would have been better if he had not done anything and left the walls as is, where I would have paid to have minor clean up and touch up done.

All that said, most don't blow up but when someone puts up $10k plus you need to screen them well to insure they have the likely ability to buy in the future and have a good plan to help them clean credit to be able to buy.

what if you wait, do the work. and yes I know you will lose some income, but it's better in my opinion to keep ur properties nice and well kept. and on that note, you would most likely be able to raise ur rent a bit cause it may look nicer then if u just cleaned it up...

Looking for a landscaper / lawn maintenance person or company to do a spring cleaning at 4 houses in syracuse and liverpool.