Anyone here have any advice on where and what to purchase (brand, kind, etc...)

Unable to estimate appreciation potential because it’s brand new and no room to add on or make improvements, but over time I do think some appreciation due to prime location.

3) Aside from washing the walls or getting a full repaint quoted, would it be reasonable to deduct the expected cost of "Kilz" paint/odor sealant brand for effected square footage?

Your tenants are customers, properties are your product and reputation is your brand.

to me its market dependent and hind sight you know what they say.so for me it was selling the 2 homes I had in Palo Alto and one in MIlpitas.Milpitas I bought that brand new for 79k  Palo Alto one of them I paid 180k for and the other 350k.. if I held those until today..

Andrew I am certain most of that inventory was condos there were whole brand new high rises were maybe 10 units got sold and then NOthing.. 

If so, have them hold the builder to the fire, that is not acceptable for a brand new home and that should be on them to fix that and anything else.

Construction can have unforseen costs, construction loans for rounds of funding can be more expensive over time, rent markets can drop, vacancies in market can increase.Typically entitlement phase of land most risk, followed by development, followed by vacant building turn around, followed by half vacant building, followed by mainly full building with value add component, followed by brand new building with market or below in place rents and everything new with good location.Along that spectrum of course you go from heavy equity upside potential to mainly just the cash flow return and hopefully price appreciation over time.Investors have to decide on the spectrum of their risk assessment to capital over what period of time how they will allocate between all one type of investment or multiple and what percentages.

The house needed a lot of work, and I was brand new to wholesaling.

I can see VRBO trying to protect their brand and set a bar of excellence with this.However, it also makes you wonder if they are being rated accurately.