The units are large (2,200 sft) and feature custom kitchens and baths, granite tops, wet bars, fire places, and cathedral ceilings.

You may want a slightly higher sheen (velvet) in the kitchen and bathroom where you may have more moisture and cleaning. 

Broken window and storm doors, bugs in the fridge, piss and **** all over the bathroom.

New walls and drywall and paint and floors and kitchen and bath.

He moved walls to open the layout downstairs (it's a split level), added 2 bedrooms to the house to increase income potential, painted almost every room in the home (they had a crazy green color), as well as worked on the outside of the home to increase the overall value and re did the kitchen downstairs.

You might have a property near a highway, train tracks, highly trafficked roads, but due to other buildings nearby or landscape, double panned windows, you might not even notice it.

Do we start with the kitchen?

We would like to do some renovations, specifically redo the kitchen and possibly the bathroom, when she moves out. 

This deal is a full gut rehab, the unit were in terrible shape so we are doing new siding, new windows, new kitchens, new appliances, new bathrooms, new trim, new paint etc.

As you know, it is very common for exchangers to complete their 1031 within the 45 day window.