This is a couple thousand $$ at risk for both of us, which I understand is the nature of the business but just wondering if there's a more creative way to avoid this?

@Nancy Mascorro Food for thought here but I closed on fourplex in glassell park/eagle rock area in January of this year through the NACA loan program.

If you want top dollar, I'd consider at least trying to find the cat's favorite places and blast it with some Nature's Miracle. 

So I have been working on my first deal which was going to be a fix and flip.  The property is unique, it was an older couple who had a contractor building them a custom home.  The owner was an architect and his wife ...

You sound like a sharp young man with quite a bit of natural intuition and entrepreneurial spirit who is not afraid to work. 

The Property Code presumes that 7 days is a reasonable period of time for the Landlord to repair a condition unless there are circumstances which establish that a different period of time is appropriate (such as the severity and nature of the condition and the availability of materials, labor, and utilities.)

Then another with 2 different industrial odor removing agents (like odo ban and natures miracle I think). 2.

When you provide any kind of extra service to guests it changes the taxable nature of the rental.Julie, I am really looking forward to your assessment on this.

I lived in Seattle for 14 years and started with two rentals there however for those living in a primary market and being a high paid professional turnkey rentals are the way to go to get started in Birmingham, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Memphis, Little Rock, Jacksonville, Ohio, or other secondary or tertiary markets. 

Do we just need to find a property at a rock bottom price to make these numbers work out?