And with all the rain that Ocala gets, the lawn is green and the shrubs are kept trimmed by my lawn guy who sends me pictures after he cuts every week. 

Often cutting corners, using bottom shelf products or just unfinished work, such as baseboards, door trim, window flashing and so on.

We are doing some updates to the place to get it ready for STR, such as replacing all flooring with LVT, new baseboard trim throughout, new paint throughout and furnishing the place.Wondering if anyone has had good luck with Evolve, or Vacasa, or can suggest another place down there?

You need to Clean the substrate first (TSP/degreaser), use a bonding primer and then I would recommend Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethanized trim paint.

The 10-year-old house on the other hand may be getting to the point where the HWH needs to be replaced, the exterior needs paint, the fir (cheaper than cedar but not decay-resistant) trim boards are starting to show rot as the caulk cracks, the builder-grade windows are fogged and the skylights are leaking.

I also would like to do a lot of the work myself, at least demolition, framing, electric (my father is a trained electrician), insulation, wood flooring, trim, etc. and my father has most any of the equipment I would need, but financially I would like to be independent of him.What are the best ways to get started and to find funding without a lot of money on hand?

Walls, trim, doors, ceilings. 

This forms the basis of our contract later on and is the reference point for which we go off to understand we have specific expectations for level of trim/ performance overall.

When the new Congress comes in, should they begin trimming back on Social Security Disability and other similar programs, finding ways to deal with student debt, banking regulations, etc. what effect is that going to have on the real estate market?

Sometimes it's because of health problems or other issues, and we step in and do the lawn and trimming with out equipment once or twice.