My question is would it be smarter to rent that side and update the mirrored side that needs to be updated, slowly fixing things like maybe just doing the flooring before moving in, and then chiseling away at other stuff like countertops, cabinets, and bathrooms as I save? 

I'm not a clean freak but I like having clean dishes in the cabinets and someone taking the trash out instead of letting it overflow, so this was a constant point of friction since they didn't care.

We replaced cabinets, flooring, appliances, sink / faucet, lighting, paint, new flooring in upstairs bedrooms basement, vanity / faucet, mirror, paint in the main bathroom, repainted the inside of the house and new lighting thru-out house.

We cleaned out the cabinets, no real signs of a current infestation that we know of.

For most of the homes the carpets alone were $3200 to $4900 plus two coats of paint on every wall and ceiling, replacing broken bathroom sinks, kitchen sinks, faucets, repairing air conditioners, replacing cracked times on roof 36 feet high, bringing in 4 to 8 tons of rocks to make the yards look nice, trimming trees, repairing sprinkler systems and the piping, replacing refrigerators, stoves, washing machines clothes dryers, water heaters, painting garage floors ceilings and walls, bringing in 20-yard trash bins to remove all the carpets, trees trimmings and trash left by tenants, replacing all the window blinds, door knobs that are broken and locks for the main door and locks for the garage door so the keys match, repairing garage door openers that are broke, repairing the garage door rollers and seals, painting the trim outside the house, replacing facia boards that are 36 feet high, replacing window screens and the screens on sliding doors, replacing entire windows just because tenants broke the window locks and they cannot be repaired, replacing kitchen counter tops that are destroyed, replacing all the kitchen doors and drawers because tenants destroyer the cabinets by hanging their wet laundry in the kitchen cabinet doors to dry. replacing garbage disposers, dishwashers and the list goes on and on.

The kitchen cabinets,  bathroom cabinets, crown molding, baseboards, banisters, wainscoting, chair rails, built in book cases on each side of the hearth, closet doors (solid oak), bedroom doors (solid oak), window sills, overhead exposed beams, EVERYTHING - down to the spindles in decorative ornamental design, newel posts, even the attic access doors ha- all custom made for the house from solid oak.

There was some minor water staining inside the cabinets from water getting past the silicon between the countertop and the backsplash.

My flooriing guy says the old cabinets should be removed and he should lay a complete floor before the cabinets are installed.

We're still in the renovation process but have gained some serious insights, skills and confidence that is allowing for us to take on bigger portions of the subsequent renovation projects including taking on the full kitchen demo and cabinet install.

I would find the contractors before buying otherwise o wouldn’t know how much it will cost to rehab i would also have an idea how much it costs for typical things so I could put in offer faster Such as cost to replace toilets Cost per square foot for LVP and install Cost for shower curtains and rod Cost for painting cabinets Cost for new kitchen faucet and installationCost for new fixtures in tub and sink in bathroomCost for resurfacing 10’ countertop Cost to paint inside 1300 square foot house with light grey walls and white trim Cost for new handles on 6 interior doorsCost for new handle on 2 exterior doorsCost of 6 new ceiling lights and installation Cost for 2 new exterior lights including installation Cost of new A/C system for 1200 square foot house Cost to have lawn maintained for 3 months while rehab is taking place Etc etc