My question is, does it pay off to dump a little bit of money on aesthetics such as laminate floors instead of carpet, new cabinets instead of the original working ones from 1969, SS appliances, closet doors?

Hello BP,I am removing an ugly chain link fence in front of my duplex in North Park and will now need to consider what type of fence to install in its place.Does anyone have any contractors they would recommend to install a small aesthetically pleasing concrete/stucco (other suggestions?)

The person you discounted because they didn't aesthetically match your idea of a good tenant could have been the best tenant you could have ever asked for.

It looks very nice and clean from an aesthetic standpoint, but the fact that the Cemesto material is on the interior in this way causes me to be more concerned - would you agree?

With minor aesthetic updates, I know each unit could rent for $1000- $I200 per month (*without seeing the units yet*).

I estimate about 10k in repairs, mostly aesthetic.

But as far as aesthetics go, I would absolutely remove that wall. 

Both units were in poor aesthetic condition while the infrastructure was updated in 2014.

Totally agree, and I think it's like most fields, if you are good enough at what you do and produce results, aesthetics don't matter much. 

I think it's up to you and your aesthetic.