That's not how investing works.There will be bumps along the way, so plan for them and they won't be so surprising.There are many investors using myriad strategies, you could spend you entire life learning REI, or painting, or you could just grab a brush and start. 

And for bigger jobs, we contract with local people (re-staining a cabin, painting, plumbing).

However it will need a new roof, landscaping,stucco work and paint job.

House will need cosmetic repairs such as carpet, interior paint, update bathrooms.

Has he always spend 9k on repairs/maintenance or is that just a bunch of 5 gallon paint cans meant to spruce the place up?

You may benefit from operating your wholesale business as an S-corp to potentially save on payroll taxes.You may also be required to file a corporate return for your painting business.Lawrenceville GA appears to be very close to Atlanta GA.

So several months ago, I paid little over 2k for rent ready work - paint touchups, some maintenance work when the tenant moved out.

For example, you buy the place and the tenant could claim the Seller allowed them to paint the walls black or that their security deposit was twice what the Seller claimed.

Paint or mud drywall while you ask questions.5.

With little structural work needed, the $200,000 renovation budget will mostly be dedicated to completely updating the kitchens and bathrooms, refinishing the existing hardwood floors, removing wallpaper and interior painting, replacing windows and repairing the back decks.