I also remove water softeners and furnace humidifiers.The black tar markings are probably from the the shirt getting caught between where the drum rotates and the housing.

But, absolutely the best advice you have been given and I totally agree is to find an REI meeting, club or networking function and attend.

They seem to be still functioning but I was wondering whether I should start replacing them or wait longer.

If the septic field has been functioning fine then in most cases I would assume it will pass an inspection.

If it is left out of the SOW, I assume it isn't considered in the "as completed" appraisal. given this the bank says that the house, when finished, will have non functional plumbing and electrical systems (because they were non-functional upon purchase) and thus isn't worth anymore than I paid for it.

Best market would be to a group of folks if you set it up right they will just keep rotating roommates in and out and you will have full rent all the time.

The 1960s buildings have some functional obsolescence in my opinion..Where as the buildings Built in mid 90's around here have pretty much identical layouts to the new buildings so when I do upgrades the incoming tenants can't see much difference.)Hope this helps.Peter  

Sorry could not rotate this picture. 

Quality and consistency of cash flow (which is directly a function of the quality of neighborhood and tenant base) as well as equity position and capital reserves matter tremendously, more so than amount of positive cash flow IMO, in mitigating these situations.

If so it's really simple math, your profits are a function of your collected rent and expenses including your debt.