new paint, upgrade bathroom vanities, upgrade laundry room, fix this, fix that, etc...the sale price is going to govern our budget for our next house. 

Paint simple design with stencil in corners or beaded edge with painters tape around perimeter.

A little blood, likely no bigger than cleaning up a paint can spill. 

When their lease is up I would non renew.You will need to renovate the place before you get a new tenant, scrub everything down with TSB, remove all carpets, curtains/material etc. and paint with Kilz.Once you start fresh stick to your no smoking policy.

We dont paint because no painted friction surfaces are allowed herevby the lead compliance people so those rubber treads would be needed too.

Sometimes there are very minor needs to make them rentable (mostly just paint). 

Ughh....You're incorrect....The scenario you picked out of the article is for a residence that was a rental FIRST...You just proved my point....NQU can only occur BEFORE it was used as a primary residence...That section of tax law is clearly explained by Kitces...It's different if you rent the house out before you occupy it as a primary residence after purchasing it....I even posted this in the post you just quoted me on....What you posted matches exactly the scenario I already painted:"That's not accurate at all.

House is still in tack (everything works), but rough conditions (worn carpet, old paint, etc..).It's all paid for. 

I always like to see the picture with all of the numbers painted in!

Based on my own rehabs I would focus on Painting, Drywall hanging and repair, Vanity installation, laminate/luxury vinyl tile installation, ceiling fan and light installation, baseboard and door trim installation, window installation.