If you can make $20k in two years, how many $10k deals could you have passed up in that time span?

I'm not an accountant, but i believe any capitol improvement you made would have to be depreciated over the life span of the product or asset. furnace, hot water heater - i believe would be over the typical life span of those products. windows, kitchen, bath - i believe would be over a 27.5 year span. minor repairs can be deducted in full that year. someone correct me if i am wrong, as i said, i am not an accountant.

I live off 1431 and the thought of driving into Austin conjures flashbacks to my days in California traffic - the "commute hour" now spans three hours.

what is the life span of that counter?

The house has lost about $10k in a 5yr span on the auditor site from recent appraisals, but that was also through the recession.

If you have a truss roof, it may not be (though the truss may have been designed to need support). there are no trusses - its a stick framed roof. the joists span across the whole house from one brick wall to the other. 

Ultra risky investments should be at maybe 50k or less at a time in this way you do not take your whole worth down but as an example might could recoup that lost cost in a span of 6 months or so with other investments if it doesn't work out.My clients that have 5 million they do not care about higher,riskier returns.

Passing on one local deal this fall will cost you way more than $1,200 just in appreciation over the same time span.

A lot of these homes are also not brick homes, so even if I do a gut job and put in new everything, the life span of the shell of the home is still limited, not to mention MO has state income tax.

And have a career that will span decades