Meanwhile we'll be making repairs and minor improvements to the property so they feel like they're getting some value for the higher rent.So the main question you need an answer to is "Do I want to keep these tenants?"

I have a bit of handy-ness to me and love working on home improvement projects, how stringent are the 203k guidelines on finding licensed contractors vs DIY?

I want their to be improvement for me to add so I can create value in my deal, but not when the leases are 9 months from ending lol 

Maybe the property class wouldn't support that large of an improvement but it would be a welcomed feature.Are the other utilities separate?

After the last crash 70% LTV was the best we could get for our first BRRRR and eventually as the market improved and we gained more experience we had lenders willing to do 75 or 80% LTV but it takes a while. 

We built a small recreational cabin and then rented the additional land to a local grower who added improvements to the land since the rent was so cheap.

We added value by improving the land and building a small recreational cabin.

Once you move into commercial, improving a property's profitability has a direct impact on it's value.

But there are a few caveats: 1) we technically have no primary residence since we live overseas on US government orders (and our housing is covered), 2) we own 3 investment properties and we were told we could not purchase any more properties (could not exceed 3) while we had the HELOC open (we were using the HELOC to cover improvements), and 3) this was a year ago, when the economy was good.

You mention doing your own maintenance and Repairs and capital improvements (roof, windows, furnace, water heater, etc).