. $15% late fees, and fines for certain things like noise violations, leaving holiday decorations up for more than a month, and hoa violations. 

We just did basic paint, carpet, cheap laminate on sale from Floor n Decor, swapped  bathroom fixtures and ceiling fans for a new ones (also on the cheap), fixed a fence, painted a back porch --- done! 

So you definitely want to make sure your house stands out from the competition with its architecture, amenities, decor, location, etc.

REIA is also a great free resource that meets 2nd Tuesday at the Knights of Columbus on decor road .

A couch, few chairs, scatter pillows here and there, some plants and other decorative pieces.

I'm a fan of vinyl plank flooring in kitchen and baths as you can get it for around $2/square (home decorators brand at home depot) and it's waterproof/durable.

I would suggest you visit all the places you are considering, don't get frightened by HOA fees (they often cover the expenses of income-generating amenities such as pools, resort features, etc), don't get frightened by dated decor or appliances (those can be changed) and go by what you like (you will have to like it to sell it to others) and by what is generating consistent and proven demand.

I need furniture, linens, dishware, decor...everything.I've been checking out garage sales and Craiglist, both where I live (700 miles from the property) and in the towns around the rental.

I like the concept of using the local history or what makes the place unique, like if you're near the ocean decorate it with a beach theme....or mountains use a mountain theme, deserts, etc....My places are in Northern Arizona and the Wild West/Cowboy history is big here, so guess how I decorated our places?

Maybe painting the whole house is a bigger project than you want to tackle right now.I wonder how hard it would be to add some sort of decorative porch light.Just a few ideas...