So it all starts with two months ago my wife got breast cancer again.  4 years after the first round. 

Do you think thieves tend to steal AC units that are installed on the side of the house therefore easier to get away or do they also steal units placed in the backyard (assuming yard is not locked or un-fenced)?

Think about this, Marcus may be all in to this property for, let's say, $4.3k down payment + $2.7k closing costs for an initial investment of $7k (let's work with round numbers here).

It greatly increases your flexibility down the road, will significantly improve your DTI for future acquisitions, and will supercharge your savings rate for the next round. 

I've never heard of lowering rent, but they can try to convince the judge withholding rent was justified.If the hvac, electrical systems were not up to code, among other BS reasons, they could get away with not paying.

I could probably get away with not doing these things but it's a leaky roof, masonry on code violation and radon remediation.

Nobody working 10-12 hours a day is going to make that round trip.  

If the gain justifies it and you can swing the financing then this might be just the ticket for you.

I'm also pretty handy and my in-law makes high end wood cabinets so I could save on the building by doing some of the big tickets myself (kitchen, bathroom, etc..).

I use it for my rent collection and also my tenants can submit maintenance ticket in the app.