In my area at least, it has a mat finish, and doesn't even require sanding refinishing.

As always paint, landscaping and general cleaning of house and property. dont forget about those nasty bathtubs needing refinishing.

   Yes @Joshua D, but I'm only going to be spending less than 5k - house has a newer roof - most of the improvements will be sweat equity, refinishing floors - fresh paint - biggest expense will be adding a TINY washer/dryer.    

The hardwood floors need to refinished, base boards missing in some rooms, paint throughout but major systems (heat/air/pluming/elect.) all in working order.She has already talked to the bank about a short sale and they have sent her an application, but they did not discuss a number and there is obviously no guarantee that the bank will accept the offer.   

That being said kitchens and bathrooms are the two deal breakers in my personal opinion so if you're going to remodel I would certainly replace counter tops but cabinets could be refinished possibly saving some money.

I am refinishing my own floors- painting rooms, carpetting, replacing windows- that money vomes out of my pocket.

I plan to add central air/new heater, renovate the kitchen and bathroom, paint, and refinish the floors.  

The property needs significant remodeling done ( flooring refinished, walls and ceilings patched/painted ( upstairs), drop ceiling removed and rewiring downstairs, some windows added, 2 small roofs redone in back, new bath and kitchen fixtures/cabinets( x2) and a few walls moved/removed depending on design) but the separately-metered mechanicals and main roof are newer and in good shape.

The results can be seen in the pictures below and final numbers at the end.Sheetrock work and then painting in the den and refinished the pine floors under the nasty pink carpet.Tore out siding on the porch and added sheetrock, installed new fan and light fixture, painted, closed in a window that looked from a bedroom onto the enclosed porch...Managed to save the cabinets, added granite and stainless appliances.Refinished the tub, kept the original floor and redid the subway tile in the original bathroom.Added this closet in the master, refinished the floors after ripping out purple carpet in here, painted walls, sanded and painted woodwork and added the fan.A laundry room no more, added this great bathroom onto the master bedroom.  5ft double vanity with granite top, toilet, free standing tub and custom shower.After having 5 tile contractors no show, either for the bid or after I had given them the job, I used a stock fiberglass shower pan from Lowe's and tiled the walls around it to avoid any more delays. 

Building a new home from scratch is even more daunting than bringing one down to studs and re-finishing.