I had one we were doing a cosmetic rehab on a single family where the zoning was CMX and they wanted full architects drawings and a whole bunch of other junk that didn't make any sense.

Would definitely need new interior paint, flooring, kitchen cabinets, appliances, and sure there's other minor and cosmetics to be found.1a)  Would I need/want a general contractor for all of these renovations or do I need a "handyman" for most of these items but maybe the GC or separate vendor for the roof/major areas?  

Through minor repairs or cosmetic upgrades you can ensure when you list in this seller's market you get tons of buyers interested and get top dollar! 

I could not help compare my clients' waterfront home routine maintenance to my home. 

I bought a house through auction last month, before sending the deposit I talked to auction house and was told it was recently occupied and needed about 5k in cosmetic work.

Although the cosmetic finishes look quite good, there are some fundamentals which could pose future problems -1) No arc flash breakers (AFCI) at the electrical panel - house was built in 1996 prior to the new legislation kicking in, but this is not up to code. 

If your using another source other than your own accounts, that could cause some challenges.You can always buy a house that needs some cosmetic updating and look to refinance out of the FHA loan after a few years.

Will need floors, new hvac, paint and cosmetics. 

The property needs a complete rehab, all interior cosmetics + mechanicals.

Now, these things can be built into higher HOA fees, and if not, you're stuck with special fee assessments.As long term owners of duplexes and triplexes, we're use to factor in routine maintenance expenses, but not much on long term capital expenses, like replacing roofs and furnaces.