When they move out, have some money saved up to rip out the carpet and put tile with 4 coats of high gloss sealer 

You can easily add a coat of paint yourself, change hardware on kitchen cabinets and you'll be surprised at the difference that can make.The reality is in many places the cost of rent vs a mortgage are not that different. 

Talk to Rob Coats at http://coatsandcordle.com/.  

One option I noticed nobody suggested is just seal coating the driveway.

Finally, we knew there a number of improvements like a fresh coat of paint on the wood paneling, removing the popcorn ceilings, and small bathroom remodels, wouldn't cost us a lot of money out of pocket, but would provide us a modern appeal.

The basements were often hand dug and therefore shallow, basement walls made from brick, stone and concrete, sometimes a mix and usually damp, no sump pump, old electrical and hard to work on, old plumbing system, plaster walls with cracks, only one bath, tiny closets, smaller bedrooms, tons of millwork - sometimes original, often with 5 coats of cakey white paint, doors and windows often built on site and custom sizes, so you can't go to HD and pick up a new door, it won't fit.

-Matt$212k ++++To me it seems the contractors didn’t understand what you are looking for if you told them to quote  Minor cosmetic workI would give them a very detailed list of what you want if you didn’t already Paint all walls and trim with 2 coats of behr semi gloss white paint Paint all ceiling with Behr premium ceiling paint Install LVP XYZ brand on all floors with 5” baseboard Etc And so on 

If you have hardwoods you should screen and coat them as that will be the best longer term solution. 

From reading about putting vinyl on cabinets, it kind of reminds me of putting wallpaper on walls (although I think the vinyl is thicker, but then again kitchen cabinets get a lot heavier use than the average house wall).

Might not even be much of a cost difference in skim-coating the damaged drywall vs putting new stuff up, which is what my recent dilemma was on a current rehab that I ripped all the ugly, painted paneling out of.If either of those issues are at play here, I'd personally just take it all down and put up fresh new drywall, especially if you're using the BRRRR method.