Painted both of the bedrooms I rented out (one of them was a horrendous blue color) and did some cheap curb appeal fix-ups (mulch, cleaning, etc.)!

Any color on how this has worked for you?

And yes, I really do not get a good feeling about tatted head to toe women and people with weird hair colors and piercings.

Dark colors. 

To that end we plan to change the color.

In my market, that is generally the "middle-class" income or blue collar and lower white color neighborhoods, etc. 

When it comes to getting quotes from contractors, I know I need to give them a list of things that I want done, but do I include specific products (type and color of LVP flooring, paint colors, brand of kitchen cabinets, etc.)?

@Tyler Stone if you can't find someone to hang your license with, I would not view the time you spent on the salesperson courses as a waste/mistake.I often recommend to new investors that they consider sitting through all the pre-license courses (even if they don't ultimately take the exam) as they're a great education and introduction to real estate, and very affordable compared to the information gained.I also tell them that since literally anyone can become a real estate agent, the class (especially an in-person class) can have some... colorful characters🤣Even if you never become an active agent, it's a very good set of introductory knowledge about real estate, and it's also very helpful to know when dealing with agents in the future - as you almost certainly will at some point.

The town will say if the grass is too tall or the snow isn't shoveled and you can paint your house whatever color you want.

Little Havana is a very touristy location full of vibrant culture and nearby to downtown.