Also, they just passed a new restriction on septic tanks, requiring some kind of survey that makes it much more expensive even to replace an old damaged one.  

Doing survey now!

Survey contingency, or special stip?

What got me out was my inspection contingency and approval of survey contingency. 

The appraisal is $640, the survey was $550, inspection was $300, option $200, earnest $1000.

Always get a survey.  

We had some other issues arise like title issues (having to get survey done) that has delayed closing.  

I saw a survey that 28% of tourists now stay in vacation homes.  

For HML, it depends on the lender, but where I am, it's 3-5 points, the cost of the appraisal and survey, insurance and the application fee.

Rental Returns and Cap appreciation rates varies depending on the country you choose to purchase.Markets that tend to be less dependent on credit are faring better with the global credit crisis.According to the recent survey by AFIRE predict that foreign investors in real estate expect to spend in '09 than in '08.