On Capo Beach the lot is already level so won't require much grading, etc.

In addition the economies of scale wont make sense to hire an onsite manager until you get in the much larger buildings like 30+.I notice you are a local DFW guy and you may notice that the inventory for the type of building you are talking about is bone dry.

These credit sites are just like the fancy bathroom scales that tell you body fat %...

And again, its all personal preference, this is why grading homes on this scale is very subjective.  

I have a full time job at the local credit union and I'm close to being topped out in my pay scale, and it's the highest paying job in the organization, without becoming management.

If someone sold you anything that is not needed (home ownership) at a price you can't afford then you should consider renting or scaling down the items you own until it is financially balanced and you can afford that item.

Let's say it's on a scale of one to ten and my property is a one/halh or nothing.

It does no good to push it up to resale grade if you're going to make it a rental.

You mention credit down grades but fail to see that our bond yields on government debt dropped even further after the US credit rating was dropped.

You want your property to be really nice so you see every defect and want to cure even the most minimal of problems, then you start putting in higher grade finishes.