But here's a rough idea of the basic steps involved and what it cost when I did it:STEPS:~ Drain the pool~ Remove pool equipment & cap off water lines~ Remove/cap off any unused electrical~ Knock down the edges around the pool and make holes in the bottom of the pool for drainage ~ Fill pool with "clean fill" material (i.e. soil, gravel, rock, sand, etc)~ Tamp the fill material as you put it in to compact it and reduce the chance of it settling over time once it's all fullCOSTS: (we did the labor ourselves so this is just for the material)~ $450 to buy a jackhammer to knock down the edges around the pool and also to make the holes in the bottom (we could have rented a jackhammer for cheaper but this way we own one and can use it on future jobs)~ $1600 for the fill dirt (it was a lot of dirt!)

Having that experience and knowledge just helped us buy another house with foundation issues at a reduced price too.  

.), but most people start with some form of paid marketing as it's less invasive (direct mail, MLS, etc.).If you want to reduce the learning curve, ask a reputable rehabber in the area and tell them that you will do all the marketing and wholesale them the property if they will do the walk through with you and teach you rehab costs.

Best practice, in my opinion, is to air-seal the perimeter/ foundation to reduce air infiltration in the summer.  

The maximum length of the duct shall be reduced 2.5 feet (762 mm) for each 45-degree (0.8 rad) bend, and 5 feet (1,524 mm) for each 90-degree (1.6 rad) bend.

We went and they pushed the "reduced price" 3 day course which we signed up for.  

Just one more point to remember is they will typically add back depreciation which reduces the rental income on your tax return but doesn't actually impact your cash flow.

reduced rate or total exemption?

By that metric, I would invest up to $8k to reduce or eliminate the utility expenses.  

This will remove a lot of headache and reduce the risk of stupid fights....