If one of the people in a conflict can get over their bad selves, admit they might not know everything, and try to understand the other person's perspective, it ends up transforming the conversation, and both people in it.Well done @Austin Hughes!

So I was having a conversation with my wife last night about a potential rental property and we came to a fork in the road: If you were going to purchase a unit to rent, and the property needed some light cosmetic work, how far would you go in remodeling the property?

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For tenants, I don't like that Section 8 tenants don't have the expendable income my other tenants seem to have, and mine tended to duct tape and spray foam everything and not tell you about it, even after extended conversations about calling and not repairing anything themselves.  

IMO is always pays to be nice, respectful and to always start the conversation out with (who you are, what your doing and then what you want).I am dumbfounded by the statement that title searches conducted prior to a sale do not reveal all outstanding bill/liens/tax/whatever. 

What I took away from the conversation was that more seasoning might allow them to justify a higher ARV.

I document everything, every conversation with a tenant or repair person.  

The 'fix' is conversion, but that takes a lot of votes in favor of condo termination and a suitor willing to wait if you don't get full buy-in.

J Scott opinion also helps with the hard number conversation. 

May be worth starting a conversation to see if you could do a conditional sale where cost of repair is removed from the purchase price.