Aside from cosmetic stuff like a new coat of paint, the place had an illegal garage that had to be torn down, a backyard infested with ivy (90% coverage, no joke), a potholed driveway, it needed a new furnace, and once my tenants moved in they learned the hard way that the main pipe to the septic tank was cracked and had to be replaced (ouch!).

Our pet rent is $25 a month flat fee, not per animal or anything like that.

Now to throw a wrench in the system, I will be moving to Denver, CO at the end of this month.  

Quote from @Eric Coats: Remember: cheaper doesn't mean you'll make more money.Start by going to www.narpm.org to search their directory of managers.

(BTW, there were no pictures of any animals on that letter, but there was a picture of a house with a severely overgrown lawn.)

That's not because the buildings are in bad condition, but because many of the tenants choose to live like animals.

The streets in 75% of the subdivision are not finnished with the top coat of pavement, and I have been told that they will not until the whole subdivision is at least 80% compleete.

These are not tenants but animals.

It's "ordinary" to have some traffic patterns in carpet or light staining but it is not "ordinary" to have animal stains in 15 spots.It takes some time but you should learn quickly what is ordinary and what is not.

But it is better to abandon plastic and coated steel, since they do not differ in durability.