I told my tenant I could either pay the eviction attorney $500 and ruin his credit in the process or I could give him the $500 for him to move out peacefully with his credit intact.

Remember, if you use a realtor suggested inspector they are likely to refer you to an inspector that's NOT going to ruin the deal (as the realtor would lose their commission). 

Cancer causing chemicals"?

Ugly building ruined the feel of the area IMO but I'm sure is doing great things for value on that block.I've been eyeing Elmhurst to farm here more.

I am not going to rush into something unless I know I can be successful at it because I don't want to ruin my credit.

You can ruin a Hardie install by simply allowing siding pieces to flex to much prior to installation.

Even if on paper and zoning ADU is possible it's the infrastructure that can ruin the completion.  

Good management can turn around a bad property and bad property management can ruin a good property. 3.

Partnerships can work but it only takes one partner to ruin the deal.  

Neither our contractor, nor my husband and I when we visited once a year, ever realized they had painted the walls gold, had installed a kitchen backsplash, had basically destroyed the carpeting (covered by a lot of heavy furniture), spray painted the patio, stained the kitchen cabinets, replaced a light fixture, and apparently never cleaned the kitchen, nearly ruining all the new appliances.