Seems kind of tight.Can you trim your expenses?

I think you are not allowed to shave or trim the facial hair until you close.

Then they would send guys around to weed-eat (trim) around signs and such, and they never even touched my sign.

I am a Master Plumber, licensed HVAC contractor and trim carpenter, and my wife is a designer with experience in just about everything homes.

We got a quote to paint the whole house while we were thinking about flipping it -- interior paint, trim, scraping, retexturing, and painting the popcorn ceilings, and exterior painting, for about $3,500. 

The house needs everything: Roof, gutters, siding (asbestos shingles nailed over older cedar shingles), drainage abatement, rehabbed bath, total kitchen, replaced flooring (half), refinished flooring (other half), back steps, total landscape, HVAC (old furnace is missing), insulation (2" in attic; none elsewhere) additional electrical circuits, plumbing includes iron pipes, interior trim and paint.

My question is should I paint the entire exterior before refi or just paint the trim and fix areas that need a little "love"?

The level of detail with the moldings and trim makes me thing that you weren't paying someone out of pocket to have that work done in that area. 

Nicely trimmed bushes , fresh mulch , and a clean uncluttered lawn make a good first impression .  

You need to read your local jurisdiction's regulations.If you're doing basic stuff like painting, flooring, cabinets, trim, etc. then you don't need a permit.If you get caught doing work without a permit, you can be in for a whole heck of a lot of expense in terms of fines and they can shut down the "job site".