It's called building bench strength. 

It's too large of an investment to get it wrong; you need bench strength.Real estate investing is a risk business.

Instead, build a solid bench of 3rd party vendors; HVAC, plumber, handyman, etc..When considering whether or not to make a hire, most of it depends on how many hours you can dedicate to that individual each week, at least when hiring a maintenance tech.

He alsotestified that the kitchen was not used for eating or cooking, but he introducedphotographs showing pots and pans on the stove..." 

Quote from @Tod DuBois: Another Furnished Finder POT cancelled on me after I went out of my way and paid to review them on Key Check and signed up for Key Check contracts, made two contracts, allowed a pet and still, two days before the check-in, they did not sign.

This fall we launched 2 more syndications for infill developments in Boise. a 30+ unit Live-work townhome project in West Boise that has never been developed on 1.3 acres of land and an 8 unit lot split on the Boise Bench with a house to flip on an acre. 

Since you are new to the market, you can look at what the top rent pulls look like and cater accordingly on the design.You always want to build relationships with contractors, but that takes time and you always need a solid bench, just like in basketball because some days your starting plumber just doesn't show up and you need to bring in the backup.The rates are the rates and they aren't going way down soon so it's just part of a different metric to evaluate in your new market.Good luck!

Pot smell is notoriously difficult to get rid of. 

That's it, but a) print out a page for each property you think is comparable, b) make the list of repairs long and inclusive of everything you've done. c) Put larger items first like kitchen remodel......and don't just say 'kitchen remodel', list things like 'custom backsplash tile/Bosch appliances/recessed can lighting/pot filler/etc. d) Cite the price/value of the work done, and don't be afraid to be generous.

These were mostly pot farm loans that traditional lenders wouldn’t touch.