Are you accounting for things like water/sewer, garbage, electricity for common areas, landscaping, etc, in actual numbers or just using a percentage of rent or are you just adding a certain amount for the incidentals?

A simple fix and flip; clean, landscape the yard (in Arizona that means spread some gravel), a couple new light fixtures, and touch-up paint.  

Since that was half of what I was paying my landscaper, I figured it was a no brainer. 

They do consider any option consideration paid as part of the down payment and allow seller-concessions for closing costs and non-repair items (like a landscaping allowance).  

When I was 13 I started my own landscaping company in NJ (Divine Landscaping) and just recently started a video production company (Non Stop Productions).Through the 4 years I have been in Raleigh, NC I have seen an enormous change in real estate and I am tired of sitting back and watching other investors get rich quick. 

I eventually ran into some of the landscapers that periodically come and maintain the lawn.

The expenses of running an apartment property include vacancy loss, maintenance, repairs, management, accounting, legal, evictions, depreciation, landscaping, make ready, utilities in common areas, extermination, insurance, property taxes, building code violation fines, permits, usage fees, security, management, leasing fees, etc.  

This would apply to situations where the HOA covers the exterior, roof, foundation, and landscaping.  

BNI has been a big help in my other business and BNI is heavily saturated with real estate professionals and other related fields (commercial lenders to landscaping to roofers, etc.)  

Replacing all light fixtures, faucets, doors, door knobs, ceiling fans, every inch of wall was repainted, all moulding from brown to white, new laminate flooring through the whole first floor and vinyl in the bathrooms, repainted the deck, and really landscaped outside, as well as a brand new porch.