HI Cody, If you have any realtor friends in the area, you could ask them what are the CMA within your neighborhood (or talk to your neighbors) what they have done.For my property, we had spoken to an appraiser recently for refinancing, and he said we already had most basic things you could already have in the area (granite counter top, new appliances etc. it was a new construction) However, we added ceiling fans in master bed + living room, adding back splash, change dining room/kitchen fixture.

It's not too beige or deep of a color.There are so many elements to a home, paint is one of them, but what about the trim and cabinets and countertops too?

@Anthony Johnson I would paint the cabinets, replace the countertop with an IKEA fake granite/marble countertop, new hardware from amazon, maybe a backsplash and honestly just leave the appliances if they work.

There is also a life expectancy for things like counter tops, appliances, paint. 

My question is for types of counter tops to put in a rental.

But in general if you walk the property you can see if there are a lot of scuffs on the interior paint, if the laminate countertops are peeling, if the carpet is fraying, etc.

Estimating ARV:I get how you can estimate the increased value of the property by looking at comps. for example, I could check listings for 3/2's with x,xxx square feet in the area to estimate ARV, but I'm struggling how I would estimate the value of things like doing some landscaping, fixing up bathrooms, or putting in new counter tops to determine whether or not a deal is a good deal.Do my questions make sense? 

I was thinking of gluing/screwing a long thing strip of wood under the countertop edge and driving the screws into that.

What kind of countertops would you recommend?

Ask other flippers or your countertop contractor if they have any recommendations in your area.