"Flipping" seems to be a dirty word, and if you are insinuating that people are buying houses, doing no improvements and then selling a few months later just based on appreciation in San Diego then you are  greatly out of touch with the market. 

That was absolutely insane to me.Last year, when my home seemed like it could possibly be sold for around $220,000 in good shape, I decided to start making improvements.

New roof and then after hitting the market it was clear we needed some curb appeal so we improved the landscaping.

Otherwise, the small banks are great because they know the area and are typically happy to help improve it.

I'm looking for any advice on what I should/could change to improve my response rate.

The lease I use is a mature document that has been improved every year over the last decades based on issues that came up, after every major court case in Wisconsin etc.

Do this: upload all of your documents quickly, take their advice on how to improve your DTI, and don't have delusions of grandeur.

We were prepared to pay a little extra every month in mortgage for both the ease of construction and an improvement in the house we live in but a little extra turned into a lot extra and now we are not sure if its worth it.

The facts are this:Duplex built in 1980 with detached (2) 1 car garagesRent for long-term tenant is currently $825 while rentometer says it averages out to $1015 for the areaRent for the recently remodeled (5 years ago) for the short-term tenant is $1000Neither tenant utilizes the garageProperty taxes are $2,797.20 annuallyThe owners opinion of value is $285-300k (assessed value at $251,587)Factoring vacancy at 5% (current area is at .2%), 10% management, no capital improvements included as I'm rolling the management fee with that as I would self-manage for this first go around.

Delayed Occupancy Due to Property Repairs or Improvements Home improvements or refinancing loans for extensive changes to the property which will prevent the veteran from occupying the property while the work is being completed, constitute exceptions to the “reasonable time” requirement.