Initially they balked, but eventually they relented* We kept our inspection contingency to void (not negotiate), and included a financing contingencyHow did you finance this deal?

The house went through a full inspection with some minor repairs costing $1500.

IF you were to renovate a non-conforming unit, that unit would now need to be brought up to code.When or if you rent out the unit, you, of course, run the risk of the tenant calling the city and saying the property isn't up to code, which would, in turn, cause an inspection by the city and likely result in some violations that would require you to bring the unit up to code.These types of units are ALL OVER the city of Chicago and be rented out on a daily basis, but there is still clear risk associated with renting them out.

NOTE:  there may be some tax on interest or principal on the payments--seek professional advice.Also, stress there will be no inspections or other contingencies--sell the 'peace of mind' side of the equation.You have known each other for 12 years and you established you are a great payer. 

We even agree that the employer can come inspect that location for certain things if they choose.

Will be far easier to purchase more property with 10% downpayments vs 20-25% for each one.Umbrella insurance isn't too expensive, $2M for $1200 per year.Just be sure to run the properties as a good business, address any concerns brought up by the insurance company (they usually do annual inspections). 

We plan to do a lead inspection first but just want to get a general idea of how much it will cost before purchasing this property.Thanks in advance,Ann

Based on personal experience, I would add assuring the lender is specifically authorized to perform an on-sight property inspection, at the lender's discretion / convenience. 

In a dream world - the comprehensive solution does all this: *task management and sequencing where you can drop a property into a sequence ie day 1 call, day 2 mailer (have it automatically mail out something like a postcard) day 3 etc etc etc*project management outside of the outreach sequences for what's next in the process ie schedule inspection, send the contract, etc etc*ability to have multiple users drive around and if you see a property you can tag an address and add it into a marketing sequence, and also track the streets you've hit so you're not wasting time driving by the same houses more than once *dialer (ability to parallel dial numerous numbers simultaneously to make cold calling more efficient - Ive used tools like orum and kixie in other industries, and when you receive a pickup, the other calls are dropped) *skip tracing/data provider *website landing page for converting online visitors to leads*electronic signature/docusign*secondary branded landing site on different URL for blasts for deal disposition to your buyer listWhat am I missing? 

The agent can also recommend professionals to help you assess your costs before you offer or during an inspection contingency.