Between now and when that debt is paid off, h9wever you pay it off, all sorts of things can happen, all kinds of pressures can affect your life and your ability to make wise decisions about your personal finances.

I don't want renters to call me up in the middle of the night and say that the AC is not working, bathroom water pressure is too low ... etc.

This wouldn’t be caused by a few plants growing on the outside, but rather by a large amount of pressure being exerted on the foundation walls over time, causing them to crack along the points where the blocks are bonded (mortar lines) which are the weakest point and therefore the first points along which the foundation will show signs of failure.

There is a chance you can support it from underneath with shims to place pressure from the bottom.

She even lied and pressured the city to give the house a red tag because the living conditions were not livable.

I would also use a NON pressure sensitive adhesive such as Capitol VA-550 or something equivalent that bonds as a hard set to hold everything down.

You may want to talk to your inspector to see if they’ve ever air-pressure tested a system before?

Some people feel this puts undue pressure on them to be honest.

Basement,  where thermostat is located is a different temperature from the rest of the house so it’s hard to gauge from basement thermostat.  

How do you gauge future rental value when deciding what to upgrade?