Clean floors tile or laminate is always best but if you have carpet make sure there are no stains and smells fresh.Landscaping and curb appeal raise rent to include servicesIt is difficult to rent a dated or unkept property when your competition is a much better choice.When I take on a new property to manage I front the cost for the owner taking it out of the first months rent so the owner is not out upfront money, as well the owner knows I will make it a priority to rent it quick as now I have cost to recoup.

Its actually those 18x18 vinyl floor pieces that look like real stone.  We have them in our laundry room but they're extremely light, I'd really like the floors in there to be dark but I just can't justify the time or...

You can build shutters for ~10 bucks a pop including stain/paint with 1x6 cedar boards and two strips of 1x4 cedar (or whatever quality wood you want).  

Smoke odor and stain was from long term use of the fireplace.The paint sprayer was one of the best investments... ever!  

Is there anything unusual that stands out (stain on carpet, torn lino in kitchen, scuff marks on walls or doors, etc.)Personally, I think that your property manager is probably wearing too many hats and falling behind on communication because of the workload.

Any idea what caused the stain?  

Stained and finished by me.  

So here is how I would set this up: Kitchen: Appliances - $6,000 Cabinets - $10,000Countertop - $70-110/sqftSink - $1,500Faucet - $500Cab pulls - $500 (or $6-10/pull) Install - $2,000Flooring: Floor product (unfinished): (expect to pay 4 - 10 dollars per board foot for anything quality) Floor finishing (sanding, coating etc) roughly $3/Sq ft (as long as you are using a standard coating (polyurethane) if you want to go higher end with an oil or stain expect this to jump to 4-5/sq ft Bathrooms:Demo: $/hour x expected hours Underlayment: Schulter Shower System (approx: 500/shower enclosure) Tile/grout/thinset: 6-10 sq/ftInstall: $3-6 sq/ft Lighting and Electric: (pricing includes installation)   Switches: approx $30/switch  (this assumes a mid range Leviton 3-way dimmer) Outlets: $10 (TR Leviton duplex, GFI where needed and duplex/USB combo in Kitchen Island and a few choice locations) Lighting:Surface mount approx $150/fixtureCan: approx. $250/fixture (assuming old work install by electrician)A little more on why I do it this way: Kitchen: You can figure out exactly how much your kitchen is going to cost before you start.

The cost to refinish the hardwood floors (sand, stain and 3 coats of poly) is $2.50 per square foot.

that kitchen came with laminate. not a good one, but i kept it. it's OK.the rest is hardwood, that was in terrible shape. he had to replace multiple spots due to damage.. we had to stain it and i HATE staining it. but i do hardwood 100% of the time unless it's a slab.