\/O\/ I like the "clear evidence of gentrification" area you mention.Yes, it is a slow process and good things take time but stick to that pocket IMO.Buy cheap with a margin of safety, work the market since you are local and you will have a much higher rate of success than a DIY out of state investors.Just my opinion and wishing you much success

@Joseph Lombard we agree with @Travis Biziorek.Suggest you change your post title to: "DIY Investors Please Share Your Detroit Area Contractors" or something similar to appeal to fellow DIY'ers and any contractors.

You appear to have a Class A property that will be fairly easy to manage (even DIY!)

So chances of finding the right buyer, (DIY saving money type), with kitchen size/layout very similar yet flexible - willing to build/spec the cabinets around the size of the counters... is exceedingly slim.

I've seen lots of DIY cabinet jobs that are awful too- wrong paint, no prep in the interest of saving a few bucks.

All that said...if you're not confident you can get at least 1.5x your LT rents as an MTR, I think I might go with long term but skip the management company and DIY. 

This is not DIY stuff, it requires professional help. 

DIY website builders like GoDaddy have some templates that might work but I haven't dove into those yet. 

As for when to call in a contractor, it really depends on the scope of work and your comfort level with DIY projects.

Quote from @Kit Jackson: Maybe a dumb question but what the heck.