When you say you have purchased in poor areas, do you mean Low income AND elevated crime rates?

Obtain 1 sample from each boring at elevation 0.5’above the saturated zone, or biased to PID screening results, for EPH and VOC analysis.

(The aging hydraulic elevator is a much bigger concern... but that's a different story!) 

The floor elevation varies by about 2" throughout the house.  

Learn to walk and talk, meet people, tell them what you do, you need a 10 second elevator pitch. 

For whatever reason he is elevating someone sitting at a desk making min wage likely with no college degree to such levels is frankly comical.

. ;) just ca. 20k is little high.I did live in the property for 5 years and rented for another 5, so I was hoping that HOA from the first 5 years that condo used to fix the leaking roof and elevator and garage door could be somehow counted against my base.Also what about excise tax?

Here are the reasons I think this is happening:- I'm trying to only do 3.5% down (FHA), which elevates my monthly expenses.- Although prices are low, rents in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood are also still low.- High property taxes in NJThe first time homebuyers assistance program that I'm considering working with, MAHNY Management, is able to get 40 year loans to help people lower their monthly.

Give them your elevator talk; your reference, how long married, how many kids, your credentials and your goals....... people like to deal with people they can identify with and like.

You can oppose the reasonableness of a change (elevator in a single family home-I had a client who tried to get this).