They come in all types of patterns and colors that look like stone and marble.

Hi Dana,In addition to paint, maybe put a strip of black indoor outdoor carpet just in front of the door (and on the steps if they are not cement).That area is going to take most of the abuse of moving (scraping appliances and furniture) in and out, as well as most of the foot traffic.Cut 3 or 4 more sheets and toss them in the attic for future use.A hand full of staples is much cheaper and faster on turns than a full repaint.Also keep in mind that is a long narrow space and Lighter colors make things appear larger, darker colors--the opposite.Good Luck!

Are they both going to spray the vent pipes and flashing to color in with the roof and the siding as needed?

They could help with color and suggestions.

Our lender okayed us getting another 5+ unit property and we were going through the motions of getting the mortgage.

The tiles adjacent to the wall and the baseboard have been removed, the drain tile put in, concreted over, and this has left a depressed section 18”wide that has a drop off of ¼” from the existing tile.For a quick, low-cost solution, I was thinking of putting floor leveler in, then painting it a similar color to the tile that’s there, then putting the baseboard.

If the money is spent on "repairs" making the house more usable, it'll probably be a higher return than painting the walls a different color and installing new lights.Many remodeling projects will have no net gains in property value so be careful how you spend the money.

I also don't do the "landlord special" where everything goes a single color (trim, walls, light switches, outlets, ceilings).  

It would bode well for you to dig deeply into this before putting any real wheels in motion, as you'll be dealing with OPM and have a high level of responsibility and (therefore) risk.The book by Matt and Liz Faircloth on Raising Private Capital would be a prudent read. 

Does color paper matter?