On top of that, what if all of a sudden you need a new roof, or windows, or a sewer line, or the irrigation system freezes, leaks and floods the basement, or a fire guts the place and your insurance only covers some of the vacancy/rebuild costs, or a flood washes it away and you didn't have flood insurance, or your tenant stops paying and their estranged lover/stiffed drug dealer breaks in and destroys the place, or any one of a myriad possible bad things happens because you have an investment that hinges upon human behavior, and therefor needs constant baby sitting, and 5 years of your glorious $500/month is wiped out in one afternoon, and the bank takes the property?

What you're talking about is a machine replacing humans performing rudimentary tasks.

I have GOT to figure out how to make this happen - it looks like an incredible profit machine.

Was he cocky and walked around like he owned the place or did he ask if he could look in this room?

Following are some details about properties: Convenient Store with gas station, car wash, office building and bottle redemption Convenient Store with DELI, bottle redemption and one 3 bedroom apartmentI am ready to hold the note on both properties for appropriate buyer.Regards,Sam

Patrick - The Blackstone group is a well oiled machine that participates in many different facits of real estate ranging from apartments to hotels and even mobile home parks.

If you really feel the need to do "something", I'd start with pressure washing everything, then paint the trim and siding to whatever contemporary colors are hot in your area.

Proper siding generally withstands pressure washing, which hits it with heavy PSI and at the opposite angle of what is normal (from the bottom). 

I currently have an appreciation rental in Seattle, which is operating at close to a wash.

Airbnb is an option for the hold period that you describe, but who will clean the bathroom and wash linens between visitors?