You basically echoed my internal conversation.

The best advice on this topic, in my opinion, comes from 2 books:How to win friends and influence peopleNever eat aloneI am also looking for brokerages to work with or even experienced shadow / intern for to gain experience and additional knowledge.

They cannot arbitrarily make wild gambles because they feel like it - they have to operate within established risk parameters that are approved by several regulatory bodies and internal controls.

Tenant brought throw rugs . so at turn over it was just take a fire hose to the interior for the turn. :) LOVE IT. 

I actually interned for a company in Iowa City that did real estate, property management, new home construction and development.

I am a former interior designer and did a great deal of work staging homes for sale.

We did floors, and multiple interior repairs ourselves while living there.

Now, I am currently interning with a boutique developer in Boston focused on multifamily and my plan is to not only learn from them but also try and do my first deal in partnership with them.

I got a quote for 8K sft retail from a construction company for around $120/sft, this includes site prep, utilities, metal building erection, exterior finishes, interior insulation etc (basically build the shell from scratch).

I would definitely accept a $3,000 quote to paint my whole interior, especially if that included the cost of materials.