I am a medical assistant and make decent money and have great benefits but would love to improve my cash flow and create strong equity as I have little to none at the momentI am currently looking at a few multi family homes but in the issue of figuring out how to finance it as I dont have the substantial down that most are looking for and my credit score is not great (but i am working on that and should be much stronger within the year)cant wait to chat with you guys!

Down money isn't the only qualifier -- they of course look at credit score, time at job, earnings (whether it's salary or commission, it's still W2 income)  and they'll offer suggestions as to how or what you can do to improve your situation.

Market values are high right now, and turnkeys are typically priced around market value.The best way to ever add value to a property is to improve the property itself.

Our next 5-year short-term goals are:CALIFORNIA  MULTI-UNIT APARTMENT:Prioritize cosmetic/capital improvements for the CA propertyIncrease Rents to Market Rates for maximum cash-flowExplore web-based Property Management/Payment System/Security Cameras Software Tools/Smartphone drivenEstablish a CA LLC Operating Structure to protect liability/assetsIncrease our HELOC Line and maximize equity in CA propertyDevelop and improve GM Maintenance partnerships I can trust for an out-of-state remote until we decide to contract a reputable Property Management company.  

We had no other significant changes in income or deductions.Is there any advantage to the spending a significant amount of money to improve the property in 2016?

I have tried searching the posts, but didn't see anything...I was curious if anyone knows if there is a way to deduct improvements you make to prep a house you currently occupy but bought for a rental...is there a time window...I am kind of in a buy-rehab-rent situation and did not think I would be able to deduct any of the rehab costs, but figured I would ask just in case I am wrong and I can....appreciate any literature you might point me to as well...I am trying to finish up my accounts.Thanks!

I will have down payment and improvement money.

People are investing more in the back of their property, and the home-improvement boom is driving that engine.

@Tony Mayo Just to address a couple of your questions and discuss strategy, a great way to borrow funds (from any source) is to find a property that is either under market value, or can be improved therefore raising its value in a short amount of time (forced apprecaition) and then, say 6 or 12 months later (there are rules on how quickly you can Refi), you can then refi it at the higher value.

If it's in good condition, providing a good return, and the neighborhood is improving, why would he dump it?