If all it takes is some appliances, a water heater, some superficial repairs, and fresh paint that's a nice profit, if sold at 124K.

That gives me a couple of weeks to clean, paint, carpet, and get the property ready to be rented.In the summer of 2006, it was common to have rentals stay vacant 3 or 4 months (or even longer).

The 2 family needs siding, or scrapping and painting, and 20 windows.

He said to me "Can you please paint it a different color, it makes my auntie's house look bad" Now all around this place houses are boarded up or burnt out and he was worried about the color of this place.

I learned how to paint, plumb, a little electrical, install cabinets, all that good stuff.

I heard about refacing (i.e. painting) but keep hearing that it would only last 3-5 years.

For long term, it is best to replace/install a "ball" valve for a main shutoff, and I paint them Bright Blue and point them out to tenants so they can shut off the water in an emergency.

Dance the dance of a contractor, removing paint from flagpoles. 

You could learn to paint, HVAC, plumbing, drywall, whatever!

.* They claim to be working in your neighborhood and just happened to notice some sort of repair needed on your house, such as roofing, painting, or cracked portions in your driveway.* They offer a special price or discount claiming they are in the area and will knock off a portion of the cost due to excess materials from other contracts.* You may be told you must act right away to get this special discount pricing, and you may be asked to give them money up front before starting the work.* They offer you a discount price if you allow them to use your home to advertise their work.