There are lots of thing you can place over it to address wear and breakage if it is well adhered to the cement,disturbing it is a bigger issue.

(Luckily, the furnace room is where it leaked down into and we have no carpet there, just cement slab.) 

They're arguably not "attached" enough to the structure to mandate 27.5 year treatment.As far as tax books, the better books in my opinion are:Nolo's Every Landlord's Tax Deduction GuideLasser's Real Estate Investor's Tax EdgeThey DO have specific lists of 5 year (appliances, window A/C, carpeting and floating flooring NOT glued/cemented/nailed, drapes/blinds, and 15 year property (shrubbery/landscaping, fences, sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, etc.)

This way you don't have to rip out too much stuff to add plumbing fixtures.If you have a basement you are in luck because you can build the second bathroom directly where the plumbing fixtures are. all you have to do is get a cement saw to cut out a hole for the toilet to reach the sewer line.

Rent is always 750, but they understand the importance of paying on time.Plus, I read somewhere on here once say "they don't offer discounts b/c your doctor, dentist, mortgage company, etc doesn't offer you discounts on payments so why should you".

The commercial carpets are much better about absorbing carpets.There is also a type of cement that is poured over the floor about an inch think that is used for that purpose and works very nicely.

I'm working for myself and don't really care if people feel like working a real estate agents for themselves.I bet, some people can be their own dentist or surgeon....why not?

I had to cut out the bottom 2 to 4 feet of drywall on one to finally get rid of the smell and treat the cement floors like crazy with white vinegar.

Sometimes you are better off making the offer through a third party, lawyer or agent, you want to be arms length to be safe.Try to inspect the property before bidding, sometimes the mortgagor (owner) will damage the property just to get even with the mortgagee (lender), like removing all the dry wall, pouring cement down the commode, blocking the vent line (from the roof) with a tennis ball (keeps toilet from working right), short circuiting the electrical system, over flowing the sinks....etc.Be aware you are paying interest from the date of the sale until settlement, if it take the bank 6 months to ready this property for transfer, it could cost you thousands of dollars.Be very careful............ it is easy to make a mistake......look at the property, talk to owner, talk to trustee and auctioneer, read the contract before bidding.2) How do I prepare for the auction?

To me, above a 1/2" sub floor, under cement board and tile, the 4 ply would be just fine, cheaper and quicker to go get.Contractors tend to shy away from big box products and prefer a lumber/supply house product.