Here is my assessment:Assuming $50k/month income, your expenses (not including your maortgage) would be about $25k on average over the long haul.

I would do without many of the toys and be leaner and meaner (as Tim said). 2.

The biggest difference between men and boys is the size of their toys!

It could have been an honest mistake, I'm not sure what the end game would be if it were a scam, but the whole situation was just very strange to me.Not sure what the scam would be either.I will say is if this was just a mistake but this is how they want to proceed with taking over a property I would expect them to get hauled into court at some point.Maybe trying to evict someone that had a lease they didn't know about would just get the action thrown out, but breaking into the tenants units and changing the lcoks on them I'd see getting them into deep do-do...

Look at those payments, then put the unknown imputed tax rate on that higher amount, deduct the taxes and you'll see you're probably worse off over the long haul.

add the A/c unit , this will save you in the long haul and it is for sure a selling point to tenants and later landlords.

Also Know Condos tend to be the last to rise in a hot market, and first to fall in a declining market, with larger swings than houses. you dont have control of financibility to a future buyer either, if the HOA becomes insolvent or the level of foreclosures reach a specific level the Secondary market will not lend in that complex, these factors in a downturn push your values significantly lower. if you are in it for the long haul, and plan to be paid off by the end of your loan term fine, no problem, but be prepaired to be stuck with the property when markes change. 

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving InRoger Fisher, one of the founding authors of the negotiation field.Also, great resources from the Program on Negotiations from Harvard: Good luck,Flavio

Their rejection letter appears to suggest my only recourse is to locate a 'QUALIFIER' who has at least 4 years journeyman experience, to qualify my landscaping contractor company. so, in the interim, i can only do jobs that total $500 which is basically nothing since just a truckload of MULCH here in socal can easily add up to over $500 and the CA laws in my opinion are so outdated since $500 maximum in labor+materials means handymen can only do tiny jobs like painting, yard cleanup, garbage hauling.

Doesn't mean they aren't still marvelous places to own property for the long haul, but don't just get caught up in the feeding frenzy of "needing" to make offers 20% over list with no contingencies just to get considered.I don't think we are in a huge bubble in this area or anything, but we have seen a hell of a run up the last few years.