There are numerous things I later found besides the roof that are done badly or unfinished, ex: 10 outlets not working, or not grounded, or reversed.I have an offer on the house to close in 28 days, and am looking for quick solution, and or long term action, as trying to mediate the situation with him face to face seems to be costing me and getting me nowhere.

I've spend the better part of this year reading numerous real estate investing books and listening to 200+ BP podcasts.

It's not equivalent- It's also the tax code and numerous cases supporting it....you don't really get to just "think outside the box". 

Dogs and cats pee on laminate, hot-water humidifiers leak on it, kids start wet-mopping it when they spill something on it that they don't want Mommy to see, tenants turn off the heat when they go somewhere no matter what you write into the lease, and the stuff swells at the joints.

I had *contractor* come in to look at everything and he said that the wood by the kitchen sink as well as the wood in the front closet had water damage (maybe from wet shoes?)

It must have been leaking for a while, but nobody ever noticed because the older guy didn't shower as much and it didn't ever get wet enough to show or drip.

@Jay Gousman @Shaye Mann You both have numerous investment options/strategies in the Phoenix metro market, so many in fact that it can be overwhelming for new investors to narrow down what they want to do.

Most streets are laid out on a grid, and all the major ones running North/South are alphabetical one way and the East/West are numerical.  

I posted numerous times about how everyone and their mothers are in the game with the rising market, I got to auctions and there is like 100-200 people in Bergen County just driving prices to crazy levels... if it's not the prices being driven up, the bank wants something totally ridiculous. 

If you are passionate you can make time and there are numerous ways to obtain financing using OPM (other people's money) so that should never discourage you.