The idea being that I would be able to make some repairs and take care of the maintenance better than her.There are tree limbs hitting the roof ( shingles will be gone pretty soon),. some outdoor light fixtures broken with wires exposed....Now, the property includes a build able lot next to it and the area is a very desirable area.What might the downside be on this?

If it is composition shingle you may want to replace the entire roof rather than an $850 repair.

Am I crazy to think about a metal shingle roof vs. traditional shingles? 

But on the other end I've also had 35 yr HWH.Just sold a house that had a 54 yr old furnace and a 54 yr old HWH, both still working like the day they were new 54 years ago.I'm in this for the long haul and use 50 yr shingles, and Moen faucets.But one factor that helps reduce expenses is to reduce vacancy, those long term tenants really help the bottom line, not only in no income interruptus, but also reduced fix up costs.

They also had that requirement for a perfectly fine roof for my house, which was in a historical district and had the old diamond shaped shingles.

The style of the house shows a lot of roofing...therefore coordinating off the shingle color is our thought.

Chaning a roof is expensive and typically roof shingles can last 15-20 years?

I tried to haggle with them on price due to the inspector finding some damaged shingles and the water heater having flame roll-out and not being vented properly and overall coming back in poor condition, additionally the A/C was 26 years old and was sized smaller than it should be for that square footage...

You can take and pass the agent exam and hang your shingle out part time.

(almost) Final numbers 18k for way more work than I originally intended, 1700 for appliances, 500 in holding costs, 118k for purchase.When I say more work, I replaced front door, sliding glass door, 2 windows, fixed a bunch of stucco, all new carpet, inside and outside paint, replaced shingles, painted cabinets, new flooring in the fire place room, flooring in the laundry room, a whole new bathroom, some drywall fixes, some new interior doors, new window sills, new downspout in the front, and I'm sure some stuff I'm forgetting... but it's move in ready now, so I figure it'll be easier to get a buyer.