Glass fencing around pools is pretty hot right now in Austin as well.

When I was using PMs and their contractors, I was presented with the "plan to success" being to put lipstick on the best available properties and get 70-75% of the amount of rent I actually do get (ongoing maintenance constantly, more challenging tenant pool etc).  

There were a couple of crackheads working on a broken car in the back yard. 

It would create a small pool on the wood floors and the tile in the basement directly underneath it would get wet as well.  

Then in my old neighborhood, there's a strip of land between railroad tracks and home backyards, vacant, a developer bought it, and it took years for him to get the approval to build an ugly over 15 story condo complex in a 2 family zoned area.

But the a/c is at 72degF all summer, pool filter & all other normal electrical demands.

This strategy seems to keep stuff rented, gives you a good pool of renters to choose from and decreases turn over to a degree, and seems to keep property in better shape because (sometimes) the renters appreciate it more.

Small 1 bedroom 1 bath house in the back yard that will be rented out.

In the back yard is a separate 1 bedroom 1 bath house that will be rented out.

We are teaming up by pooling money together and using our income to qualify for loans.Our first acquisition was a single-family home with a conventional loan and 20% down.