I have also been trying to do my research on CT reality and seeing what upgrades can help improve my resale value (hoping to come close to breaking even after a new roof, and adding a countertop into an existing wall in the kitchen). 

The owner is talking about liability insurance.ALso....try to buy it or lease option or something...the owner is ok with you doing the work as you are improving THEIR asset. 

Either to improve the appearance or to treat mold.Any idea how we should evaluate this variable? 

I just graduated college and am focused on reducing debt and improving our financial situation.

We were able to itemize instead of taking the standard deductions on our individual tax returns while it was our primary residence, by deducting mortgage interest, taxes and qualified improvements, but then learned the power of the P&L and taking business deductions against the passive income to offset our tax liability.

We invested $4500 and believe those improvements added $6-7k in value and made the home more marketable.

I would focus on improving your credit first.

The refinance is going to leave us with about $20k left over, after the improvements.

I'm a fan of buying equity and then forcing more equity through improvements. 

If truly all it needs is a new roof to be complete and ready to sell then a few ideas off the top of my head could be:1)  Borrow the money from friends or family to replace the roof2)  Put the cost of the roof on a no/low interest credit card and pay it off as soon as the house sells3)  Go through a home improvement store (like Home Depot) that offers financing for larger projects like roof replacement4)  Don't replace the roof and just lower your sales price or offer the buyers a credit to fix it themselves after closing