In some states utilities like sewer and water can add up fast and they attach to the house.  

Cameras change the game, pure and simple, especially cameras with digital recording, night vision, web upload capabilities, motion detection spotlights.

but, I personally find it unsatisfying and frustrating to have someone start a thread about them investing in RE syndication and asking other investors experience only to find that they have started the same exact thread many times in the past AND  after my exposure to their post....and then to top it off they are not even really investors, nor are they really going at the topic from an investor mindset, but, rather have a purely 100% ulterior motive of promoting their own syndication....AND to add injury to insult, they are really horrible garbage investments.My opinion of most accredited investors, is that trust is a key component for them, when investing in Syndication. if the networking technique is disingenuous, it just comes off as corny-time-share-tactics-manipulative base level conduct that is unappealing, untrustworthy and wastes time.I will say that all your points of essentially "caveat emptor" regarding ones own filter for things anywhere on the internet(including BP)are true, but, the benefit of micro-social media- climates like Bigger Pockets is that you get the benefit of other like minded, maybe even I dare say "smarter than me" individuals, weeding out what is the inevitable dissent into Craiglistification of said micro climate...meaning that eventually if all the post, or some critical mass of the posts, become of the aforementioned disingenuous type, the benefits of the this type of forum become less evident or more cumbersome and timely to get value from, and maybe even have negative return on time-equity.....IMHO

Expenses such as water, sewer, garbage, gas, electricity, lawn care, etc.

For example in my duplex the copper water piping developed pinhole leaks in several areas and needed to be replaced.

The biggest renovations we did to a house was paint and flooring throughout, whole new kitchen, new electrical, water heater, plumbing, new bathroom, and rebuilt part of the porch, and moved a window, and we didn't reach 20K so that might be a little high.

Plus I do all the ground work, taxes, water, liens and title searches for clean titles.

I don't like the idea of a pet deposit because what if the pet was great and there was no damage due to the dog however there is other damages or unpaid rent, I feel that muddies up the water. 

My architect and I sent them over assembly bill No 811 on ADUs and mentioned that the looks to be in violation of the bill quoting the following:"Accessory dwelling units shall not be considered by a local agency, special district, or water corporation to bea new residential use for purposes of calculating connection fees or capacity charges for utilities, including waterand sewer service, unless the accessory dwelling unit was constructed with a new single-family dwelling"They responded saying that this didn't apply to the ADU and quoted the following"(B) For an accessory dwelling unit that is not described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (e), alocal agency, special district, or water corporation may require a new or separate utility connection directlybetween the accessory dwelling unit and the utility.

I purchased the property with cash, and am 100% fine to wait the 6 months and collect pure cash flow if I have to, but I have seen numerous stories in the BP forums of lenders that do not have the seasoning requirement.