We're trying to decide if we should rent or sell.If we sell, we are looking to get most of our money back that we put in (down payment, small updates like paint and appliance purchases).

I took extensive video and pictures when i moved as the house was not, to most people in move in condition, obviously cleaned but very cheap and very old carpet, large areas of rooms that weren't entirely painted weird hardware sticking out of walls, screw holes or remaining screws and nails, several patched but not painted areas, tons of areas with drawing, water, oil marks on the walls (from a centimeter to 1 foot) etc etc! 

@John Morgan you could also paint with odor blocking primer and float laminate over it.

New business practices or not… any amount of money paid for their services is a rip-off.

I cant paint it myself.

I started with a property that needed mainly cosmetic fixes -- new granite, knobs, paint, floors, etc.

But be very careful who you chose to manage these trusts, as there has been some people ripped off by local trustees.

Womp wompIf $4000 is 3 years cash flow this is probably not a good deal.I have a minimum cash flow requirement of about $4000/year due to the cost of things like roof, HVAC, vacancy, painting etc.Have you penciled the deal out to make sure it makes sense?

You might want to put an elastomeric water barrier paint on it but just wait to see what happens. 

The black appliances look cleaner after use and getting black appliance paint to touch it up blends better than trying to touch up white appliances.Another option is to try to rent it without appliances and give the tenants a one time credit for bringing their appliances and then they are responsible for it for the duration of their lease.