It may be wishful thinking on my part.Do you think any improvement outside the house like fencing or invisible fence etc for dogs will help attract potential renters for future buyers?

The reason is because your investment horizons is likely 5-7 years, and you can get cheaper financing with an ARM that will improve your cashflow and you won't have to worry about interest rate risk until later on when you decide to sell.

Perhaps you do, but I suspect they will not significantly help improve the bottom line on your tax return.As an aside, since you have not bought your first investment property yet, your creditworthiness will be based on your current employment income supported by your last two years of tax returns. 

(b) Leases or rents or offers to lease or rent, or places for rent, or solicits listings of places for rent, or solicits for prospective tenants, or negotiates the sale, purchase or exchanges of leases on real property, or on a business opportunity, or collects rents from real property, or improvements thereon, or from business opportunities.

Sounds like maybe the home has been over-improved  ffor the neighborhood. 

That's without any improvements.

I began improvements, and started making friends in the new area.

How to I improve the value of a duplex so I can refinance my money out?  

I'm looking for a program that would give incentive to rehabbers and contractors to come in and improve these properties. 

Duplexes are either side by side, or 2 story.Some side x sides are basically owned by separate owners and may have separate PID's so not advantageous if you can't purchase the entire building.One thing is whether the property has current tenants and what lease terms they have, the leases usually transfer to new owner and you would be held liable to maintain the term of the lease until it expires unless you make arrangements with seller to deliver property vacant.. but in terms of purchase a occupied property shows income so would improve loan terms.