I redid a galley kitchen using ikea cabinets and I ended up paying more than 5k in materials (oven, stove, dishwasher, refrigerator, cabinets, countertops, backsplash, sink, faucet) That was before the pandemic.

Although AB-968 doesn’t specifically mention “licensed” contractors, the state of California already stipulates that “anyone who contracts to perform work that is valued at $500 or more in combined labor and materials costs must hold a current, valid license from CSLB” (source: CSLB).With AB-968, if work is performed by an (un)licensed contractor in an amount that exceeds $500, disclosing that entity’s or individual’s name and contact information becomes a legal requirement.

The material costs for painting a wood floor will be under $100.

Sadly you would need to either have a spouse qualify for REPS (you cannot due to w2) or either make under 100k per year so you can deduct up to 25k of losses per year and actively participate(this is different then material participation). 

As for the cost, you can make a kitchen look pretty amazing with a modest bump to your budget over baseline home cheapot materials. 

Importing Materials Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Phil -There are various published online material(s) which can serve as guidance. 

Importing Materials Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

So we need to eliminate these incorrect facts from being used to back your opinions.Now, I just know you're going to run off and write some long winded response that argues some arcane and totally irrelevant points using materially incorrect data.  

Looking for suggested automation, techniques and strategies without reading and watching overload of materials.