I've chosen to leave them on their existing month to month leases, which I do have a copy of, since I don't know them and didn't screen them. 

As several others have already said, its not up to the contractor to determine the finishes to be chosen. 

Malik another thing to keep in mind is how the laws protect you as a landlord in your chosen investment area...

Q: Why have you chosen it?

That is the chosen method of contact (agreed to at lease signing).

When the house was listed for more than 100 days on market, they have chosen to "liquidate" the property to the highest and best offer, ACCEPTABLE to the seller. 

I should have chosen my words better when I said crash.

I have chosen to put together a yellow letter which follows: Dear <<Home Owner>>Hi, My name is Amit and I am interested in buying your house for $$$ CASH $$$.County records indicate you are the owner of the property located at:<<Street Address>><<City, State>>If you would like a free CASH estimate on your property, please call me at [number] within the next 48 HOURSThis will be a hassle free all cash offer.

But for many REOs, as @Jon Holdman states, the seller may want you to use the title company they are already working with since they have already paid for the title work that has been done.One issue you may encounter is that the title company the REO asset manager has chosen most likely will not allow same day back to back closings using transactional funding.

(Learn how to find fair market value either online or your chosen realtor!)