Anyone who has 'house-hacked' knows the lack of privacy, intrusion, and overall quality of building is not comparable to that of a single fam. 

For those of you who object to the cost, I doubt anyone will miss any meals as a result of a $5.00 fee.For those who object (or resent) the intrusion and providing contact information, consider this part of doing business.

If the exterior has wood elements such as siding, stairs, balconies, and railings, these all can be expensive propositions if there has been poor maintenance which has allowed moisture intrusion that resulted in dry rot.

Two years ago, we didn't see stuff that stupid very often because the listing agent would have had the spine to tell the seller "hey if you want top dollar, fix the leaking roof and water intrusion into the basement so retail buyers can get non-hard-money financing on it," but now appraisal reports coming back like that one did is a regular occurrence.

If it has Poly B piping from 1991 I think a $5K credit is reasonable as it is way past its expected life and the cost to replace on a home not currently being rehabbed will likely be more than $5K and intrusive. 

If I’m not being intrusive that is!

Why get the city involve, when usually county seats are a lot less intrusive, have lower taxes, and less regulations on how you manage your land?

I had several root intrusions, and some spots where the pipe wasn't round but an oval. 

It seems mailers are the most popular form of marketing and it is the least intrusive way to reach out to people.

This is a challenging process involving significant engineering (civil, structural, fire safety), city obstacles typical of highly liberal and intrusive government departments, difficult site conditions, rigorous inspections and many upfront costs.