The work I did was cosmetic to update to his taste.

I believe the limit is $400K so it could be tight especially with our expensive taste in homes pushing our range to $275 on occasion as we look at properties to live in.It is possible that the house we are currently in is worth $220-240K.

Why would I order 40 of anything if I hadn't tasted and liked the first one? 

Even though the water goes through the city filtration system it has such a high content of sulpher that it smells terrible and tastes just as bad. 

I feel like I had a small taste of that today -- hours spent talking on the phone/filling paperwork to refinance one property....

I'd like to get a taste of it before going all in or at least know what I am going all in to.

For my taste, I'll take the "better part of the worse area" if that distinction makes sense. 

Bob, having a taste of the good life, would never move to the location where he bought his own cash flowing rental.

I was shocked when I read this and it seemed really petty, which definitely put a sour taste in my mouth.

Chances are, they'll want to redo cosmetic details anyway to suit their taste and factor that into their offering price already, but if they also see the need for new systems in the house, they might lowball an offer.I would always recommend fixing the guts and bones of a house before putting new paint on the walls, but you have to be happy living there in the mean time.Lastly, If you want to make structural changes to the house - moving walls or stairs, building additions, adding a deck or roof deck - check with your local permitting office to see if you need a structural engineer or architect to stamp drawings, and see if you need a licensed contractor to submit for the permit.