My dad was always interested in real estate, and I wallpapered, tiled, painted, did yard work, etc, all before leaving junior high school.  

My son and daughter in law had to have the garage painted on the house they wanted to purchase with a VA loan.

We had to rehab some concrete, bathrooms, carpet and paint, but nothing complex.What I Learned:- It's best not to involve people you personally know as buyers of your investment property.

How much does your FIL know about fair housing laws, lead based paint disclosures, sex offender notification, the Americans with Disabilities Act, landlord - tenant law in the state of LA or other local ordinances?  

@Perry IvyWe have a few converted older properties (Second Empire / Victorian) in which panels were placed in kitchens, hallways and living rooms at the time the building was converted (or when the electrical was updated).One of the things we do in these cases is install a chalkboard/whiteboard/corkboard over them - a plywood box 1 - 2" deep with a  piano hinged door (which is the chalkboard/whiteboard/corkboard).You can purchase both magnetic primer and chalkboard or whiteboard paint ... a little pricy, but a little goes a long way.  

Throw down some new flooring and paint and re-sale or rent?

In one of my class B-/C+ rentals, 1 small dog turned into 5 dogs and 2 cats, which then turned into all new carpets and paint (which were brand new when they moved in) ... never again.

And all with no renovations other then paint carpet etc.

So I used this guy to paint my garage over the summer and he was great.

I put in a new roof, redid the floors, painted, did yard work, window treatments, removed asbestos in the garage.I had the place reappraised it was now worth 335k.