.- Is there a kind of person who could help me with pre-sale improvements (roughly saying, to tell me what is worth replacing, improving, etc and what is not,1 to make the house more attractive for the buyer)?

They usually say its for home improvement.

I want to give them a chance to provide a fair resolution and improve the work before I terminate the contract & fire them.  

Your clients are motivated sellers.You can NOT convert people who do not want to sell  (below market value) into people willing to sell below market value.The mistake people make (constantly) is their efforts are based on forcing non-motivated sellers to sell, by constant harassment.This is wrong.Instead of mass mailing blanket mailing,  and putting your energy in finding random people and forcing them to become motivated by putting a ton of effort and money into follow-up, you need to focus on targeting the RIGHT people.People who are actually looking for your service.Hopefully, it changes your perspective and you can improve your business.

With strategic upgrades, we modernized the property, improving its value significantly.

In short - here are the reasons I pivoted to Real Estate Investing:All the benefits of Real Estate + growing STR optionsInflation raging at 10%/moCurrency wars and what or who will win them (Prec Metl or CDBC, etc.)Equities markets receive derivative pressures from credit markets and pressures on US dollarRealistic 10+ year opportunity in using Creative Financing, given monetary policies.Global disruption and impact analysis of COVID to businesses (small/large) and individualsWhat I was (originally) looking to get out of the program:Better understanding of Real Estate and it’s MarketLocally like-minded ppl that are more about collaboration than cannibalization (not reflective of BP in any way – this community is great too)Improvement in comfort level working in REI and learning “on the job”A community where I could find deals, connect with ppl for help and ask questions, etc.Business and Corporate Structure recommendations to accommodate short-term & long-term investment strategiesAnonymity strategiesAccess to vetted contracts for traditional, creative and gator (EMD) Real Estate dealsMy experience and feedback based on my expectations:Great original 6 week mentorship program.

You can also write it off as a business expense and there could be additional tax benefits for energy efficient home improvements.  

Over the past few years, my wife and I have worked hard to improve our financial health—we’ve raised our credit scores above 800, paid off all debt except for our mortgage and student loans, and saved a fair amount.

., land) from the depreciable building and site improvements.

Who makes decisions on improvements?