However, it is a financial drain.

Then they can learn the ropes of being a landlord and managing a property without as many of the maintenance headaches draining their spirits and eroding their cash flow from day one. 

You won't regret getting started (except for that time when your head has been stuck under the sink for 2 hours and you can't get the $*#% pipes to stay together without leaking and have driven to Home Depot 3 times but can't bear hiring a plumber for something so small and your roommate has a hot friend over and when you look over towards her, nasty drain water drips in your ear and you bang your head on the bottom of the sink).

The oil tank was above ground in the basement, cost me $800 total(permit, removal, oil drained from tank). 

Bleeding every month isn't good and you may have thrown a bunch of money down the drain by the time this gets even.

I got some clarification from the realtor.He says:Option 1 best case scenario new concrete septic take in same location $3500-$5kOption 2 (likely if tank has not been updated) new septic tank and drain field $12-$14kOption 3 (generally not required in this area but possible) New "ATT" system and tank, field $20-$25kHe is meeting the county sanitary guy on Monday to review information they have on file. 

Sure, it's $400 down the drain.

companies would look at this and say, "Get a French Drain," but this is manipulative since this process costs $10k+ and it is not necessary.

If I drain the IRA account for a repair or improvement what are my options?

Zoning Variance is going to cost me $1,100 and that is more or less a given provided I comply with the following requirements.1: Handicapped Bathrooms.2: Letter from the sprinkler system's installer stating it is designed for a truck and heavy equipment repair facility.3: Sprinkler system monitoring service. 4: Floor drain with grease/oil-water separation capabilities.