Furthermore, only a Realtor who is active and 'up' on current market trends can properly factor in Pending COMPS, contact Listing Agents for information about the current contract and apply some information-based predictive pricing strategies to the ultimate estimate of ARV.It's not just simply a matter of looking on Redfin or Zillow or Realtor.com for their magic number.

Putting myself in a buyer's shoes, I would be more likely to run, or at best, offer way less on a property that I knew was in really bad shape a few weeks before.

In lower price ranges you have to trend down toward 70%.

Agents and sellers tend to jump from one trend to the next without considering the message that is being used.

For 2011, you could only raise rents by up to 0.9% without asking for permission, for 2012 it is 3.1%.The figures I came up with are 20k for a new roof, 17500 for 50 windows 350 each, and 4k-7k to rehab each unit, 7k being the worst case scenario, and 4k is something that I wasn't quoted, but a couple unrelated professionals have stated each unit would require.I am not sure about finishes, I think it's mostly the apartments being in bad shape that keeps the rents low.

Then research in MLS and know whats trending and if you have investors, turn them on to deals you might not otherwise know about.

And you can't see what shape the properties were in.But, they do have great filtering tools.I'd prefer the MLS and recommend that you try to find a way to get access to it.

I did a U shaped kitchen on a rehab in January.

I am the landlord.The yearly rental contract expires on May and having an attractive backyard on May it could increase the chance of having better tenant.Current tenant rented the house last May, at those time the shrubs were already overgrown so it could be unfair to request him to cut the shrubs.So, I could make an heavy trimming now (winter) and request tenant to maintain the shrubs in a good shape.

This will tell you all you never need to know.Back before the RE market tanked, the National Association of Realtors forecast a continued up market nationwide.Your best bet is to keep an eye on current market conditions for the trends.