GC's will charge more for working in the city... parking, parking tickets, the higher insurance, limited work hours, etc that all adds up and so you can expect to pay more than outside the city.If the apartment needs updating then you can certainly add value by renovating the kitchen, or bath, or refinishing the floors, swapping out some finishes and fixtures, or even just painting.

See the Zillow link for the property below; interior is only 2,000 sq. ft not 2,556 (2,556 includes the garage)https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/600-N-13th-Ave-...Work for this house would include turning it into a 3/3 while leaving the existing 2 car garage, 3 brand new bathrooms, remove the wall separating the kitchen from family room, refinish and/or replace kitchen cabinets (countertops will be reused), replace all exterior doors and windows with new impact glass, new HVAC system with duct work, minor electrical (high hats, new fixtures, inspection repairs), paint, new casing/baseboard, and maybe new interior doors.

I would try goof-off if its really stubborn, if it is stained wood I would look at some wood cleaners/ and possibly sand and refinish portion to match depending on area and quality of unit.Also give TSP a try.

Maybe then all you have to do is refinish.

Floor Refinished-$2,500 Windows-3 years old Doors- $1,500 Full Paint $3,000 Bathroom(optional) $3,000 Hole Patch Up-$500.00 Kitchen Floors-$1,500 MISC- $3,000K TOTAL-$15,000

Only pay for supplies and then pay upon work completion to encourage completion of the project3 having sewer smell during foundation repair often means broken sewer line and that increases repair cost substantially 4 Never give contractors the ok to sheet rock a building before inspecting it personally or having an independent party not associated with the contractor to evaluate. 5 Refinish the bathtub in a house if structurally sound in lue of replacing in lower tier houses6 never allow contractors to leave any tools at the houseWhat do you think of these items?

Someone else might just refinish the cabinets, get fixtures in working order, only replace the roof if critical, carpet and paint.

.- Each unit has nice original hardwood in good condition that can be refinished.- Paint is peeling of the walls and a lot of plaster is broken.

My realtor, also an investor, suggested refinishing tub and surrounding tile by having a company do a spray epoxy.

The current cabinets could be refinished and the tile grout could be scrubbed and redone.