Oh, ha ha, I forgot good old asbestos around the pipes!

Broken pipes will cost you a lot more than having the heat/AC on.

I do have some of my income set aside, but we have exhausted our reserve with our downpayments and high hopes.What do people do when they have just plain run out of money?

The only thing that I would do is to insure that the tenant still has heat on for the winter, so that the pipes don't freeze.

The seller had done the usual cosmetic "make it ready to sell" and it "showed" real nice.But; it looked like some termite damage and a quick look in the crawlspace showed the original (maybe the 1950s iron drain pipes, always a worry.

Basically, you are responsible for any damage caused by tree roots, bad pipes, or other natural wear & tear.

I am a single mother of two, I have no outside family support, am unemployed, have exhausted my unemployment insurance, work for several temporary employment agencies, few assignments, bill collectors ringing my phone off of the hook, a family to support.

The problems that I dealt with during my first year as a landlord:Water pipe burst / total rehab of 1 unitPay-as-you-go general contractor that didn't finish the work on the unitMold / complaint filed with Health DepartmentCrack in foundation that let water come into 1 unit every time it rainedGot locked in to a below-market-rent section 8 rentalMarketing for vacant unitsTenant disputesSection 8 dispute (although in this case it earned me $1900 :mrgreen: )Fortunately I haven't had to deal with evictions yet, but I know they'll come in due time.

I hate suggesting this because it greatly increases your risks, but you could forego a home inspection or--much better--do a home inspection "For Informational Purposes Only" which means that you won't nickel and dime them for every bent pipe or dirty outlet.

So find out if the problem was caused by a roof leak, or a pipe burst, or a cracked foundation, or...Also if there is black mold (Strachybotrys) then I would pass NO MATTER HOW MUCH black mold there is.