All three of these houses can definitely use a cosmetic lift and some more so than others.. but my problem lies in this opportunity.

There is mostly cosmetic damage but there is some structural like roofing, piping, and landscaping.

Overall, minimal cosmetic repairs - would this justify the rent upcharge? 

I was a bit afraid the reno was going to be all cosmetic but new water heater, HVAC and roof is a substantial upgrade.

@Alex Manley, I'm learning too and have found local realtors, BP podcasts, watching list prices drop and getting creative with buying properties with easy cosmetic upgrades a helpful way to bridge the gap when finding deals.

So today was a day of bad news... after finding a diamond in the rough which was a Duplex with minimum repairs (under a $1000) which would be just some cosmetics and new sheetrock repair.

Short answer = if your ROI is good and you don't need a $500K heart surgery, be happy.  :-)

A surgeon gets paid about $800 to remove a leg when the gangrene threatens to spread throughout the body or $1500 to rid the body of colon cancer (that is inclusive of all of the care after surgery for the 90 day global period).

I would understand having this requirement if the tree was being removed simply for a cosmetic reason. 

So far we haven't had any direct contact with the homeowner (she is undergoing surgery and we don't want to bother her), but have been granted access to the property (w/homeowner's knowledge) through a neighbor.