Around the same time, I began to discover self improvement books and of course happened upon Rich Dad.I have been steadily researching for all that time since, and trying to improve my station  and job expertise (pipeline inspection) to enable me to get real estate. 

She is over 65, so she not only gets the standard Texas homestead exemption, she gets the over 65 exemptions as well.We would like her to begin the process of writing off portions of her mortgage interest and improvement expenses on the property as business expenses.

If you dont have any construction experience or a NJ home improvement contractors license you are asking for trouble. 

We are fixing up the units and improving the tenant base.

I buy based on how much $$$ in pocket I get each month vs. hassle and risk, and also if the asset value can be improved for a reasonable expense.

Overall though, Hammond has been making improvements and I like the direction it's going in.

I refinanced my primary mortgage to pay cash ($40k) for the house and will have put about $60k of improvements into it when I am finished.

What are some ideas you can think of that can improve that creates win win outcomes for everyone before the late payments, damages, and evictions? 

I suggest viewing any open house, in your target market, get as much info from the List agent about what the Seller improved, how they came up with the value.

You still get natural market appreciation over time and you can raise rents slowly, improve the property, and those things all increase the sale value (assuming the market is in a similar state).