Many investors in the US see Rochester (and other parts of upstate & western NY state) as having great cash flow but poor appreciation prospects.

So what was the outcome of this, any progress?

I would say over the long term, on average, you will talk to 10-12 people in order to actually show to 4 or 5 prospects, and get 1-2 good quality applications; 7-10 days would be an average vacancy period, assuming minimal change of occupancy maintenance.It really is dependent on your local market, and the specific unit, as I have had MANY same day COO, and MANY six weeks or more, not counting actual repair time.

Different areas and different types of property have different outcomes.

If you do leave it, and have supply or drain side leaks, you end up tearing out all the other new work to fix it.If you choose to do nothing, and the rest of the home is "fresh", then the bathroom becomes a big detractor, and will affect the quality and number of prospective applicants.Of course, if you are just flipping, glazing the tub, surround, and sink fixture can make a HUGE appearance improvement for very low investment, and you can pick the latest designer colors!

I just dont see how there can be a different outcome.

Faith is what causes you to take that first step despite not knowing what the outcome may be.

There must be some kind of website and/or service that tells a prospective landlord (i.e., me) how much homes are renting for in a certain area.Any ideas?

Basic followup phone surveys may be more useful for checking on vendor performance, and possibly prospect impressions, although it can be difficult to get anything useable from most rental home hunters.

"Dirt-rich, cash-poor"This refers to the situation of having more land than cash to cover it and is a common outcome for an investor who accumulates a bunch of properties that have nothing in common but their owner.If you have multiple properties and are using the gains from some to cover losses in others and losing the battle, it's time to get off the treadmill, despite the temptation to hang on.Go through your portfolio in detail.