They had it decorated and arranged pretty nicely. 

It's usually some combination of a postcard stamp and some 10c, 5c, 3c stamps depending on what the current first class mail postage is.I also use some sort of decorative stamp to dress up the envelope.

I just moved into a my new home and within the first week I received 4 letters from churches, 2 interior decorating and painting companies, several insurance companies, etc....Good luck

You know what i've found to help "distract" from custom fonts and helps them look more hand written...putting some sort of decorative stamp or sticker in the lower left corner.  

That said, my husband thinks the exterior of the house is quite ugly and needs "a lot of work" - I'm frugal and argue that we can give it a good pressure wash and maybe some decorative shutters and it will be fine for our niche of tenants (who care little about curb appeal).It's winter so I'm not even sure if we can get the siding cleaned right now.

For example if someone does a blog about DIY projects or home decor or even local events you could offer to help them in exchange for exposure. 

The worst part of it is the back yard is a mess (decorative pond, flower boxes that aren't kept up, etc).

I would say if the house is in great shape and updated with new counter tops, new vanities, decorative light fixtures, basically, if you can see it, it is new, new HVAC, new roof, etc. then 70k would provide good cash flow for you.

Also, would definitely do things like window bars, but the decorative kind, preferably made by a local artist..

You may have decor that appeals to the majority, but ran into a buyer whom is part of the minority.