It just needs cosmetic updates like wall and cabinet painting and floor cleaning. 

Hell no, I'll wait until the entire cabinet is damaged from water and now this $500 fix is your responsibility!

Just holes punched in walls, concrete in drains, intentional fires, cabinets torn down, etc..

New trim, doors, paint, electrical, fixtures, refinished/replaced flooring, refinished cabinets, new appliances, revamped the entire landscaping for improved usage and curb appeal, and completely gutted and remodeled the basement bathroom.

I guess a good example of that would be replacement windows or cabinets that you have ordered directly and hired the contractor to install.

I opened it up between the kitchen and living rooms, added shiplap to the ceilings, painted the cabinets (myself), and put in new countertops.

I would TSP (same recipe) all doors, all trim, cabinets etc and go with a poly/stain combo (like Poly shades, for one step) on wood finish.

I had a local handyman visit the property and took photos and estimated all the repairs that are needed and he came in with a total of $6200 for interior and exterior painting, clean-up, refacing kitchen cabinets, and updating the bathroom.He is going to be starting work within the next 2 weeks.

I hired out everything and only did 'actual labor' 10 days total on the project (mostly tidying up on site, installing kitchen cabinets, little detail work at the end, etc.

Removing old cabinets and installing new ones will require you to drill holes in the walls.