The stuff I get from Lowes are building supplies, paint, and "regular items"For cosmetic supplies e.g. tile, backsplash, countertops etc. 

Meanwhile, the house or rental is up in value (maybe even 50-100K).... the rental maybe even paying you monthly...You just got the basic lesson in appreciating assets.... buy them (the ones that put money in your pocket) not the ones that take money out every month.The little place we sold in 2004 there in Stockon had tripled since the early 90's (granted it was the height of the bubble) but even modest appreciation will get you there...Stay away from the quickly depreciating items (like nice cars) if you can early on in life.

They want to evaluate the property for asbestos, lead, mercury and many other noxious items. 

Another item to keep in mind is your buyers.

Landlord insurance coverage would not pay for the loss of the tenant's personal items during a claim.You can require it and it's a minimal amount of money considering the cost of furniture, computers, and such.

Then, for items that I want to select myself, such as lumber, I rush to the store before the order is pulled so I can do that.

After closing and after the policy is bound, within the first month or two, the insurance company did a loss control inspection and came back with items they wanted addressed or changes to the policy based on what they found. 

It's a good idea to network with contractors so you can get an idea of what big ticket items generally cost so your numbers aren't way off.

It is important to break down your goals into action items. https://blog.pipedrive.com/2015/03/how-to-set-sale...

It's very hard to prove work done vs work undone unless you did take pictures of before, during, and after, and have a detailed scope of work with line item pricing.