You have an almond-colored, older dishwasher.

Nothing came close to the what I needed so I had to mix a few colors of stain and again put the hinges from the old door on the new slab door. 

It also was an easy place to rent out - fairly new, near military bases, lots of natural light and neutral colors.

It's enough to make my hair gray So, yes, I agree with you, that trading up is the best way to go. 

I painted the entire unit with fresh coats to cover up scuffs and to change some of the not so popular colors (a bright orange living room!).

Each historical neighborhood has it's own set of guidelines as to exterior paint colors and landscaping, but those can easily be navigated with proper paperwork to receive an approval letter.Other things to look for are foundation, water damage to sub floor in kitchen and bath areas, lack of insulation, etc.

I put an offer on a home in the Blue hills/North Fork area.

"Blue LLC MA manta" and click on the manta.com link)Some LLC's will list the owner's Attorney as the "Registered Agent", not sure how to get around that point. 

Blue collar vs white collar?

The federal government and state of Colorado have numerous rules and laws to protect tenants and home buyers from being discriminated against.Here's a description of the Fair Housing Act from HUD's website: "...as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and disability."