So that gets to satisfy the social aspect of landlording for me. 

There was never any intention on going around the agents involved in the transaction which is what you seem to be implying.I'm not contacting anyone 3 years after the transaction closed and everyone was satisfied with the deal. 

My question - Are there durable ways to fix the tub ( perhaps paint) or do I need to replace the tub.

They are actually very simple (about a 3 page document), just have an attorney draft the maintenance agreement as you and the neighbor sharing 50/50 responsibility and cost of the upkeep and that will satisfy the VA requirement.

I assume both players have access to favorable debt, but if someone can purchase at a 5 cap, and finance the majority of the purchase with long term debt between 3-4%, the equity yields are actually reasonable and should grow (even modestly) over time.I am not sure if this answers the question, but I think what both groups are doing probably makes a ton of sense in satisfying the goals of their investors. 

Also, lots of landlords like Allure vinyl plank flooring for look, durability, and the ability to replace a damaged plank.

No one will be looking at window brands in this market.If you are building for other investors, I would say durable but cheap products would be preferred.  

Our government doesn't worry about keeping taxes low to keep the masses satisfied!

I've been taking care of the rehab costs myself and plan to continue doing this as long as I can so I don't have to worry about satisfying investors.My market is very inexpensive and to address @Percy N.'

The easiest way to satisfy this rule is not to increase the numerator, but to decrease the denominator.