(We're trying not to touch that pot for cushion for the unexpected). 

Try to get them to see it from your side; you are a reasonable person and would like people to have the quiet enjoyment of their home and thus have tried hard to avoid having many restrictive "house rules", but your intention in renting to them was for them to use this single family residence in a typical way.An imperfect analogy:When Hertz or Avis rents you a car, sure you have "use of it for X days" - but they are not expecting you to enter a race with it at Watkins Glen, or use it to transport 150 bags of potting soil, stacked into every space in the trunk, back seat, passenger's seat, and roof. 

If I need to replace a coffee pot, I wouldn't want to have to consult anyone else about that expense or the brand or size or style etc.

Basically, you need to decide how much you are willing to put in each pot.

I want to be able to prepare a simple meal and pots, etc. that match the size of group - and a place to seat that group for a meal.

He is basically telling you you are a C-D client and he wants you to get off the pot and make an offer.Just because you are quoted a price does not mean that you have to buy at that price.

I understand leverage is a big component in this forum, but having paid that triplex off, piece of mind, and getting about 3-5% net is priceless.

I would appreciate all sharings from your past experiences for similar situations, and especially the necessary application steps and potential legal pot holes. -

It's pretty sad what crap you can post on the internet to stir the pot.

Bitcoin mining - type this into Google and you'll find out all about it, and why miners are getting busted on suspicion of growing pot..