They should also have some insights on what products/colors are trending like a black suit.

Almost a decade later about the only interesting thing in all of this are the colorful folks who swim by as we work on the 7 houses we own in that particular neighborhood. 

I tend not to like the idea of letting them "pick" colors and materials because I am a control freak when it comes to our budget - lol.

The thing that I found out, is that the simpler the better, and I now hand write every letter and envelop (using aqua color and yellow letter with red ink). 

Once you've done a few renos, you'll know which paint, flooring, colors, fixtures, cabinets, etc. etc. to use.

Using good grammar, spelling and adding a colorful description of yourself, be specific and make some friends.This site is excellent, and you can connect with people that you can talk to, email, call or meet. 

Paint a room in the college colors.

I had to go find my own leads, which as many previous posts confirmed, are limited by the states that allow lists to be provided for commercial use. google Joe Kaiser  colorful guy in this nichealso many counties simply will not let other claim tax overages only the owner of them.. or they will limit your fee.its a VERY tough business and takes a ton of work... really more of a PI job than anything real estate related.. the folks I know that make this work or PI's with all the skills to run people down.

Some of our clients want all appliances and in stainless steel, mostly in Seattle and surrounding areas.We have other clients that want all appliances except the fridge and white in color, mostly south and southwest of Olympia

There may not have even been color TV.The owners are like you.They appreciate individual real estate investing.They'll likely appreciate you.Or, their heirs may have no interest in this quiet gold mine that they were given and want the cash NOW to buy some silly Internet stock or a fancy car.Interesting neighborhoodsAlong with old buildings come old neighborhoods.