The house lost heat and pipes froze.

If i am not mistaking, Landlord is responsible to provide drinking water, functional plumbing, cooking Stove, and heating.

Sound typically travels through structural members in a wall/structure, not the dead air space (sort of opposite of heat loss).

A couple things to consider:You said, "...seller said it is roughly $500 a month" for heat.

McKinley Park is heating up, but I think you'll have a hard time staying in budget for anything in the right condition to get the rents you need.

@Jerome Morelos Definitely look into your state laws...I know here in MA I am not allowed to charge tenants for water UNLESS it is sub-metered correctly.I am also required to provide heating no matter what during "heating season" even though the heaters are also separate for each unit.I would also suggest taking a look at other listings in your area to see what common practice is.Best of luck!

UTLS  etc .. permits many CA locations permits can be 50 to 75k per home.. but I like building these days as a preferable to heavy duty rehab.. last comment is log home in your area unless your way up in the moutains above SD  its too hot and sunny those log homes will get weathered pretty badly and they usually don't fit in the scheme of what is going on in the area like say a desert style home with stucco etc.. that can handle the heat and sun

She says the heat wont stay on (handyman checked - it heats to the set temp, 80 degrees and then turns off). 

Which is why I'm here.My best guess is that, worst case scenario, a new A/C or heat pump would cost about $4k (I had one installed in my own residence last year).

It should be noted this indicates a heating aggregated US market.