Even potential to trim some medium sized trees for a valley view in the back!

They would have something like grey siding, white trim with a red toned door and it looked really good.So other than going to home shows of big developers in the area, which is probably one of the primary ways, what other sites, magazines, apps etc do you use to keep up with trends?

Our estimate came in higher than we could justify for the property so we trimmed down the scope of work and are going to handle some of the lighter tasks ourselves.

Trim hedges.

If you go this route, I would focus on a single property - the one which is costing you the most in interest and/or the one which will yield the biggest free cash flow once paid down - until you reach any prepayment limits imposed by your financing terms.Additionally, if you are able to switch your payments to {accelerated} bi-weekly (26-payments a year) from monthly, that alone will trim your amortization and total cost of borrowing.Another thing I frequently do is to take-on variable rate financing on a property (which is usually at a lower interest rate than a fixed rate loan ... by as much as a 1 pt), but set my payment as though I have a fixed rate loan.  

Routine upkeep would be things like raking leaves, trimming hedges, etc.

White trim, black shudders and a pop of color in the front door(s).

If they are young, or not well trained, they will destroy blinds, they will chew on edges of cabinets, window trim, whatever they can find... you just need to make sure your security deposit covers this in advance.     

Based on what I was shown, this apartment is really in shambles.Almost new drywalls (5/8) + pop corn + new doors paint + trims.

While the apartment is not high end by any means, it certainly is a more expensive rehab than one would do in a low income area.Paint and flooring materials used- Wall paint is Sherwin Williams Navajo White- Ceiling and trim paint is Sherwin Williams Ceiling Bright White and Extra White for the trim- Kitchen/Dining/Bathroom floors are TrafficMaster Quartz Stone Vinyl Tile- Living area/bedroom flooring is Traffic Master Allure Country PineOther upgrades done to the unit- windows are new- the entire bathroom was gutted to the studs and redone.- countertop is new- we painted the existing cabinets and put new hardware on them- in the 3 season porch we frosted 2 of the windows and then just painted the existing walls, ceiling, floor