I have a tenant who reported a gas leak...gas company came out and pressure tested, says leak is on our side of the meter and up to us to find a plumber to fix it.

@James Free I tested the tool on my home in Longmont, a rental in Longmont, and a rental in Louisville, CO, and I found that the 75th percentile number was closest to market rates.

The buyer had the water tested twice. 

Just use your one rental that is about to be available to test it out.

You need x frontage and you have x-4 feet" New Investor: "But I see exceptions to the frontage requirement all over town" ZO: "That was then, we don't do that now" NI:  "But you made an exception, like, last year to a house on Maple Street" ZO:  "You can always apply for a variance, but you will need multiple variances for front setback, side lot setback, impervious coverage, permission from the DOT, the EPA, soil tests, UST sweeps, drainage management system....." 

@Orie BrownIt's always good to learn new skills, and if it is for a go-no go test of a house you want to put under contract, you may benefit from the higher speed of your personal inspection.

Always stress test the numbers and check them on a worst case scenario to make sure they still cash flow.

I'm currently in RE school planning to take the state test next month.

A voltage detector pen. one of the things that can spruce up a property is new cover plates and outlets/switches. they're usually pretty cheap at $0.60 a piece or less but it's always nice to make sure that the electricity is off if you're working with other people that need the electricity on or if there's a bunch of rabbit ears you can determine which one is the feed wire by testing with your trusty pen.

If the work has not been completed by closing, the buyer can walk with the earnest money.You could negotiate a five digit escrow at closing to mitigate this risk ( unlikely the seller will agree I'm sure)You could gamble buy it and hope there is no contaminationYou could require the seller to produce a recent Phase 2 environmental showing no spillage or ground contamination and with that buy it and remediate the tank yourselfIf the seller balks at options 1 or 2 or 4, then all you can do is watch the listing age out and test the seller for motivation every month or so.