Looking for a handy person that can quote the job for my friend.

Unless you're doing majority of this work yourself ($10k on contractors could be one job), you're already in at 80% of the arv before any repairs and sales commission (about 9-10% easy) and your buying closing costs. walk away. 

I mean you don't see Me with Oregon and Ca properties running adds in Cleveland for you folks to come buy my properties. but you see all sorts of these companies that advertise their properties out in the areas were the residences are much more investor centric than were you live.. but this started in 2000 or so I started funding out of state folks in 2002 and been doing it ever since.. however its tightening its finally got to the point were the recycle like you talk about has really calmed down.. as a whole the buyers are smarter and PM s do a better job.. and the investors have skin in the game so they did not walk from rentals like they did in 08 to 2010..  

I am buying to rent out and wonder how this influence the rentability of the properties.

I wonder if there's a better forum for me to ask in. 

If it was a larger scale job I would have gone for something that had a time component to it.

Has a small unrenovated 1 bedroom in upstairs rear, rented for $900/month (tenant pays own gas and electric), wonderful stable tenant.)   

I expect a month or so buffer, but I'm also wondering if the cold weather in general is a major deterrent for renters relocating.

"Are we doing a good enough job that you would refer people to us given the chance?"

Warehouses primarily it seems, but these modest income jobs are plenty enough to afford the local rents.