And any house that I would look at would probably need work, whether it be cosmetic (fix holes in walls, new flooring, paint etc.) or plumbing, electric, heating system.

You need to find out who takes care of the common area plumbing, for instance, between the units, and above and below...

I'm not asking anybody to do the work for me I think if I figure this out though I'll be well on my way. 1312 South Roxboro Street Durham, NC 27705Tax Value $62,8565/2 1,936 feet full basement 8,000+ sq ft lot has code violations due to the fact it was built in 1925 and is "basically" condemed needs complete rehab but I'm not sure if there are foundation issues/major plumbing issues.

Assuming there is no sub-floor damage (or mold under the vinyl flooring), this probably isn't too big of a deal.If the mold is worse on the back of the cabinets, there was likely a leak that came through the wall, which could be a sign of a roof leak (or clogged gutters) or a sign of a plumbing leak behind the wall.Regardless, if you plan to replace the cabinets (and the sink/faucet), any issues shouldn't be difficult to find once the cabinets are out.

Probably a plumbing stack in there.

for skilled labor and tasks that i dont have the equipment for, I pay by the job, such as siding a house, removing trees, plumbing, electric, sidewalk paving.

Plumbing looks OK.Kitchen & bath need pulled back to studs, but the rest of the house is OK as far as I could tell.

I lock access to power (or, better yet, move the breaker panel inside), lock access to the crawlspace, beef up the door jambs, install deadbolts with a longer throw, lay a big stick in the track of sliders (or replace them with traditional doors), leave lights on inside with blinds open so cops can see if anyone is inside (they recommended this), keep water shut off at the street (in case they get in and cut up your plumbing), and install chain-link fence posts around AC units.

Their was some bad wiring and plumbing we had to take care of.

He checked with their REO department and found out the house has plumbing issues (knew about this one), roof issues (knew about this one too), and possible foundation issues.