Certainly that is the case in Atlanta.Here goes some wild guesses to get the responses flowing:1.outside drainage issues repaired (front and back)- 100 ft of french drain with 6 mil plastic, perforated pipe and a load of #57 gravel- 4 days of labor- $100 for materials and $440 for labor2.new floor in kitchen and bathroom, the rest of the hardwoods sanded.- I've never done linoleum so you'll have to get another input here ~$200 materials and $200 for labor in both rooms- New vinyl tiles I hear are great and easy to install so $2/sf installed would be close- HW floors you can budget $3/sf for a small job3.paint the whole home 770 sq ft- 8 cans of paint x $22/can- $400 for laborOR- $1200 for a painter4.new rear deck on 20x30ft-$600 ($10/sf) is a rough estimate.

Also backyards, how important for returns/selling is a deck or paver patio?

Add some potted plants to separate the parking lot from the patios and get rentin'

the last rehab I did had such a bad mice problem (they were nesting in the vents and the insulation), that the previous owners blocked the vents with plastic bags because the smell of mice poop and pee was just percolating the house.

Thanks Rich for the link.Since I think I'm going to likely have to end up burying the pipe under the patio and garage concrete , what would you expect to pay a plumber for something like this?

Last November I purchased the larger $99 patio umbrellas for two properties for $17 each (clearance time) and some really nice wicker patio chairs from At Home for 75% off. 

Which is a bandit sign:Banner sign means a sign having letters, characters or illustrations applied to cloth, plastics, paper or fabric of any kind with only such material for backing.

Form up the foundationDig exterior foundation beams Complete the plumbing rough Termite treatmentNext week we will add steel, seal the foundation in plastic and hopefully pour assuming we can find a time slot with our concrete provider.We are working off our first draw which is only 1/5th of the land purchase price so our loan to equity ratio is a tiny 20%.

Damn.Should I run or should I keep pursuing the house.As a side note it has a great covered patio and I was considering moving my family into the house for a year or two until we can upgrade.  

We don't furnish with the most expensive fixtures, but we do choose things like metal faucets over plastic with the hope that it will last a long time.