That's my neck of the woods.

Ok, skinny on the home:Vacant 1940s craftsman two story 2/2 in an UBER family-saturated (literally two blocks from on of the nicest middle schools in town) neighborhood that pulls ft per square footage numbers down from the heavens.In need of major renovation:  -Kitchen (all but possibly cabinets to be replaced)-Needs HVAC installed-Lower level bathroom needs to be completely redone-Majority of floors in remainder of house are good solid wood, just need refinishing-Need to add a closet to an upstairs room to make it a 3/2-Great deck outside has retreating and slitted boards from water standing on fallen leaves over the years-Old one car garage most likely needs tear down-Basic landscaping and fencingThis property is listed in the MLS and has 100 DOM, dropping from 190k to 172k.  

We changed out all the carpets to a wood-look-alike vinyl sheet flooring which is easier to clean.

If you're aiming mid-level or higher, it may be worth sacrificing some of that for more eye-appeal (such as using tile instead of tub surrounds, or refinishing floors if you happen to have wood under those carpets).

I have found that wood-look floors are a great (and not expensive) way to upgrade a unit and attract better tenants.

I'm not a big beliver in reimburse later.The contractor always want the easy way so he might buy expensive stuff.I buy ALL MATERIALS.I create a shopping cart with light fixtures, tiles, vanities, wood floors ect and the contractor going to pick it up from home depot. 

It was really intended as a bit of a joke, not as something mean spirited.There are an awful lot of post on BP to the effect that older buildings cannot be profitable, that buildings and neighborhoods inevitably move down-market as they age, even that wood frame construction is always and everywhere deemed inferior to masonry construction.When in fact, that is all very local.  

@Roy N.  

@Jon Klaus might be interested since in your neck of the woods, and if the margin is there to make it worth his while.  

My name is Roy and my wife and I have just begun real estate investing.