Your SIL is a GENIUS!!!  I'll bet she is one successful businesswoman!  Cabinets like that and other stuff are so expensive and I'll bet she's able to command higher rents (i.e. higher-end renter) due to how nice the house looks.

It really is too bad how many perfectly nice kitchens get destroyed by the very people you're talking about.

Funny thing, I have a slate foyer floor that never got changed out since the 70's.  Who knew, it's in again!!!!  Doing nothing made my floor come in fashion again!  It's in beautiful shape too.