We had to trim large trees, bring in 8 tons of rocks at many homes to make the yards look nice, paint the wood trim 2-stories high, bring in 20-cubic yard trash cans to removed all the debris, replace all the carpets, replace broken sinks, dishwashers, stoves, refrigerators and every home has washers and dryers.The cost to clean and paint a home was never less than $6,000 and some cost $12,000 to prepare to sell.

Everything but trim and lumber.

If we were able to put 10-15k into it (paint, trim, carpet, small outside stuff), the numbers look much better.We currently have about 25% equity, and haven't been able to find anyone that offers anything over 75% LTV.

If you're removing things like trim, doors, hardware and so on, save it.

I use a Dunn Edwards flat on the walls with Satin white trim.

The guys I have can do all the grunt work, paint, trim, light framing, ect... but not the guy I want to build a house from scratch.

Outdoor dogs can still chew on doors, trim, and come inside and do whatever they want. 

I think it is more important to "trim the fat" from the budget, rather than the always popular political method of charging the taxpayers more in some fashion or another.

I pay my gardener $60 a MONTH to mow my grass and trim the hedges.

, Electrical, Plumbing, Drywall, Trim, then exterior.