The more we can learn about them, the better chance we'll have of protecting our investment.

The best thing you can do without going to court and in this case 50/50 chance of losing, negotiation them down on their price.

Always bring something to the table otherwise your chances of success are very low.Just my cent and a quarter worth.

Without proper permits, there’s a chance the city may request you to revert any non-compliant additions (like the extra bathroom) to align with code standards.When it comes to refinancing, banks tend to look closely at the property’s legal compliance.

A lot for the poster to learn and improve upon.

It's also fairly easy to do virtually.The money is made in land flipping on the "improvements" you make on the land.

I'm hoping that my finances are much better at this time next year and continue to improve as the economy gets cleaned up, with the right person at the helm. 

This would include architectural fees, new equipment, cost of protecting or defending your title to the property, or building improvements.

Will the home rent well, or will you need to make improvements first?

They understand their obligation, so you don't need to keep reminding them or giving them chances.