We painted the interior, added backsplash in kitchen, laminate floor in BR's, changed some light fixtures, and faucets.Contractor solved the surface water that plagued the foundation- added french drains, graded exterior, replaced the rotted gutter system, and new vapor barrier to crawl space.

We do not want to make an emotional decision, but we seem to be painted into a corner with our finances.  

The property is in pretty good shape - new carpets and paint.

So when I actually closed on the house I had already cleaned it out, the painting was almost complete, the heating system was thawed out, repaired and working, and the agreement was written up and presented to the neighbor.  

The lease states that the only cleaning fee would be an $85 charge taken out of my deposit, plus any other painting needs needed (of course, the phrasing was so vague for the latter but I made sure that they were not taking out for "painting" for normal wear-and-tear).

I started washing walls with TSP to get ready for primer and paint on day 2.

To date, I have laid new flooring, upgraded both kitchen and the bathroom, and will finish painting interior and exterior.

New flooring, millwork, counters/cabinets, painting, etc.

Basically I can get a 3 BR home needing no repairs (ok, maybe $3k for painting and cleaning) under $200k. 

I just wanted to paint as much of the picture as I could.