Staining it isn't going to get rid of that ugly pattern anyway.Second everything @Luke Carl says - make sure that your ROI is going to increase BEFORE you spend all that $ on granite etc.  

Some investors seem to be caught up in the idea of less competition but ultimately there are many properties on MLS that have very little competition, with very motivated sellers, putting potential buyers in an extremely leveraged situation - and essentially function exactly like an off-market deal.Like I said, there are definitely times when you can get off-market deals at a steep discount, but this is a larger pattern I've been noticing...what do you think? 

If you have a consistent pattern of this then is should continue to be consistent in the future.

@Tony Ferrero Home Depot has in stock preformed laminate countertops in a patterned white.

I don't have any curtains in my units, and those might be more taste-specific since they can come in various colors/patterns/material. 

Do you have any particular recommendations for getting info on migration patterns and what particular metrics do you look for?

There's really a pattern to duplexes.

Go thru and see who bought them and see if you can find any patterns.   

@Will GastonI wasn't really looking for specific areas just yet, I wanted to hear from people who are in this space and seeing if there is any patterns.

If you do bring in your own broker/consultant, what is your criteria and search pattern in a market you are not familiar with?