I'm trying to do as much planning as possible and realized a lot of these homes are old and are oil baseboard heated. which I know is very expensive.

They then have the landlord fill out a voucher where you will detail who pays which utilities and how your mechanical are configured. ie. nat gas steam heat vs. heating oil on a force hot air system.  

Because we pay enough for oil to pay another mortgage in the winter.

I focused on Houston more so for the oil and gas industry but unemployment is low everywhere. 

Let a few days pass, as you process your pros and cons; because once this guy grabs 'the bag' and leave, this property will be your 'baby' - lemon or not.

Todays cars are barely broke in at 100,000 miles and you will find if the drive train is in good shape on an auto you can just put 100 a month aside for repairs and oil changes and be able to have reliable transportation for 3 to 4 years on a 4000 dollar car that is paid for in cash.

Only idiots follow snake oil salesmen. been that way for over a hundred years, it's okay by me for some to learn the hard way.

The heating is slowly being separated, but was put in when oil was 50 cents a gallon.  

With commodities (not just oil) taking a major hit over the past 9-12 months, I think the carnage should just now start to rear its ugly head, such as the technical recession that has appeared during the first 6 months this year.  

TKs obviously have a place in the market and provide a service, but remember there are no "lemon laws" protecting consumers of these products.