They cannot take critical details into consideration - like location (backs up to railroad tracks or a freeway) or interior condition (fully renovated vs untouched since 1975).Are you planning on doing a home inspection? 

Then interior beauty and last last would be landscaping and hardscaping. 

On another note, I've been working on a 42-unit value add building, and been able to hit above projections without adding any external amenities (although interior laundry and A/C are being put in).

So basically my only hope is to improve the interior/exterior quality if I want it appraised high enough to be able to pull my initial money out?

Higher end interiors, outdoor space, basically any upgrade raises the costs.  

Balance the interior/exterior light so viewers can see the inside.

Painted interior, laminate floors, stainless steel appliances, and replaced all windows with premium energy star windows(did this more because the windows all were past due).What was the outcome?

I've seen how Brandon Turner will sometimes estimate repair costs, etc using his experience but I have none and I wouldn't know how much it would cost to paint the interior/exterior of a house for instance.

If the owner couldn't be bothered to wash off the mold and trim the bushes for the listing photos, what do you think the interior is going to look like?

My name is Jade Bloomfield and I'm a trained high-end residential and commercial interior designer and new real estate investor in the Olympia, WA area.