Also, skimming The Book on Managing Rental Properties may be the one of the quickest ways to get most of the information to get you started on the right foot, specifically the chapter on managing tenants.

You can even skim through zillow, trulia to find info like schools and crime.

You can tile over densshield or skim it with drywall mud and paint it.

. - You must have skimmed over his post...

Just saw this thread and briefly skimmed the many responses, but my first and biggest thought wasn't brought up until near the end by @Tony Cavalli and my thought is exactly the same (and I learned this one "the hard way") STAGING SELLS HOUSES!!!

Gray is a very hot color right now.How about a milk chocolate brown with creamy white trim?

If they drag their feet and milk the job you might have a money pit.  

@James Brand, Yes we are keeping some of the original features: the plaster walls, which are in great shape, will get a new skim coat, and there are original pristine hardwood floors in the living room.

Milk paint on walls or decorative mural?

But sometimes I want to skim a little off the top for some project on my own house or something else.