. - Something as simple as not having a working stove or the heat not working would prevent a property from qualifying for a traditional loan. 

Kitchen, most of those cabinets don't even function and the sink is partly blocked by the stove.

A wood stove in the kitchen/family room & a pellet stove on the bottom floor/bonus room of this split-level home where the 3rd bed/ba. is also located with laundry.

For example, does the stove work well, is the plumbing fully operational, do all sinks, toilets, and laundry drain properly.

(child puts hot hand on stove once - usually) So from my perspective, rentals (do your research on your local area and the job prospects for future growth of course) will be in demand for some time. 

We did have extra insulation, nicer cabinets and stoves/dishwashers, better floors-always ceramic instead of linoleum etc, solard reflective screens on windows.

6 Fridges,6 Stoves,Coin-Op W&D,New Sep.Hydro Meters!

Consider staging the house with furniture, but at a bare minimum put a stove and refrigerator in the kitchen.

I would just keep the stove electric, why go through the hassle? 

We switched to these plus a pellet stove to get rid of the old heating system we had last year.