If you were getting the run around and being kept in the dark, then the information you needed to make good business decisions, for whatever reason, was being withheld from you.

You can take all the knowledge you want from the site and never have to give us a dime -- I'm not sure you'll find any guru giving that kind of access.Don't worry - we're not planning on turning to the dark side on my watch.

Could also list the colors/finishes you have in mind, if any, or let me take a few stabs initially and modify from there. 

At this point we're leaning towards replacing some old appliances and putting tile in a bathroom that has carpet but keeping the colored carpets, paneling, and dated drapes. 

@John Montgomery Congrats on getting close to negotiating your first deal...I would say the most important thing is to "know your objective"...There are a lot of great answers on this thread, but ultimately we are all making "shots in the dark" as to the best option for you because it's our perspective...This is still valuable, but can become very confusing because you don't know each person's perspective...MY Suggestion is to know your goal over the next 3-5 years...I will let you know a little about my perspective...I am a Rehabber and Have Been Buying and Rehabbing over the past 8 years here in Chicago...I've been in your shoes...I wanted to be the Big Shot and rehab deals straight out the gate(Little to No Money & No Experience but a few REI Boot Camps- basically No Experience)...To say I've had a lot of Failures during my 14 years of being involved in studying REI is an Understatement...If I was starting all over again, and my objective is to be able to build a robust REI Biz that can allow me to rehab 6-12 homes a year, wholesale 2-3 properties per month, and build a rental portfolio...I would first focus on getting good at one objective first...Generally most people start out wholesaling because it doesn't require the money or experience rehabbing or landlording requires...I would start with Wholesaling...go find 5-10 very good rehabbers and find out their Criteria for a Great Deal...Commit to building Value for them and ultimately a great relationship.With this you will already have buyers lined up, you know what areas to look for properties in, and you can research public record and see what they are paying for properties on the acquisition(and also ask them, but keep them honest by researching public record)...At this point become the best wholesaler to these rehabbers...you will learn a lot just in this process alone...How to evaluate Comps, Repair Values, Neighborhoods, etc...Which a great wholesaler will know how to do...It will make your deals easier to sell...Ultimately I would see which one of these Rehabber will be open to the idea of partnering/mentoring me on how to get into that arena...They may even allow you to follow the progress of their deals...Every deal has its surprises and over the course of 10-20 deals you will get a real life idea of what those surprises are, and even understand the "reason why" you calculate certain contingencies into deals and also what are the most costly mistakes or repairs to look for and avoid on deals...The value of this Experience will accelerate your learning curve...In my experience one mistake for a beginner can cost you a ton of money and even put you out of the rehab business.There is no way you can learn all the mistakes you must avoid by reading a book or taking a 3-day training program. 

WE pay 150 to 350 per house to get all the colors right and ideas we would never do on our own and on the right budget.3.

In my humble (and often worthless) opinion, it's the colors and finishes of a house that give it that classic feel (or that modern feel) vs. the sectionalization (new word perhaps) of rooms.

In the event the Trustee is kept in the dark, the transfer would be immediate cause for the Mortgagee to file for relief of stay and foreclose.  

White color tenants that pay rent on time electronically and don't abuse the houses.

LOLwithout anything else to go on I would suspect faulty gutters, but that's a stab in the dark