Or maybe that the tenant is required to change the filter every x months.But thats going to be a tough one to enforce.

I would rather be in charge and selecting my own materials.  

I have been spending time studying materials on BP to know more about real estate investing.I plan to invest  in Nigeria and Uae but there are no post ,blogs or articles on BP that i have read so far that talks extensively or give strategies based on this two markets .So the challenge I have is that most of the post on Bp talking about stragies of acquiring a property and rentals does not really tally with the Nigerian market.

There is also a question of material quality that can greatly affect cost to build. 

Good deal flow is tough to come by in Houston as well; at least if you're honest to the numbers. 

Do you guys have any recommendations for reading material for a novice investor?

My thoughts are that I want a contractor to provide the labor and materials on a project and do a 50/50 profit split at the end.

Well, the big challenges (rent control/stabilization, tenant friendly housing courts, tough renovations/need for expeditors, etc.) is NYC-wide, no differences between the boroughs there.As for Manhattan proper, my take is it comes down to two distinct reasons. 

I know it might be tough to get new MHs into this park and I agree the quality of the mobile homes are probably well below average.

Doing a live-in rehab could be a great way to get your whole family involved, teaching your children new skills and trying out new colors/materials before deploying them in your rental units; just don't go overboard with the scope.Are you a member of the Memphis Investors Group (MIG)?