Then I pay her $35 for any manual labor like cleaning, leaf/yard clean up, painting, any easy household repairs that she is able to do. 

Find some sort of deal (which is hard to find right now as prices have risen substantially over the past handful of years), or some sort of value add (maybe find a fixer upper and do a lot of paint work, cosmetic, etc. yourself to get started and save money). 

Purchase price: $45,000 Cash invested: $12,000 Sale price: $124,000 Old single family home I flipped with some structural repairs, sanding and refinishing original hardwoods, new kitchen, light bathroom update, paint inside and out, and other cosmetic touches

I appreciate good contracting but despise being delayed or ripped off by unscrupulous people.

I still paint ceilings flat white.

Gutted the home and updated all appliances, hardwood floors, paint etc.

You can do a greenery wall with a neon sign, a painted or wall papered wall that has crazy colors, etc!

We opened it up, made a nice kitchen, changed the flow of a bathroom, new floors, paint, roof, and deck.

Between paint and flooring that are sometimes needed, and months of vacancy, it would take me YEARS to recoup those losses even with new rent increases.

One BP community member I got lunch with yesterday told me successful flippers avoid minor cosmetic repairs such as paint, trim, floors, etc. due to a glut of investors all trying to do the same.