Another friend had a similar small toilet leak in his home that he meant to fix & then got a $540 bill.

@Ian Walsh I totally agree, especially this far into an economic expansion and an election coming up that could rile the markets depending on outcome.

This association has over 250 units (mostly investment, less than 10 unit owners actually live there) with no website, not a single notification about any kind of a meeting (annual, special, election), no Budgets mailed, no notices on raising fees (went up 3 times), nothing... took me almost two month to get Bylaws from them... 

Generally, that comes with a higher price tag, even if everything else is simpler, they don't discount their hourly rates just because some of your work is easier for them.Sometimes the value proposition is not that they found some missing deduction/credit or election, often it is small stuff, plus having the knowledge to keep you out of trouble.

We have enough professional risk as it is...If your tax pro is worth his or her salt, they will bring up various planning strategy and applicable elections to defer tax deductions to future tax years, thereby increasing current year taxable income. 

I would be more concerned about the upcoming election

@Philip Mullinax I would think for sound proofing you would be looking at putting in some rock wool, either the insulation meant to go between joists, or the solid type.

It's not meant to insult you as much as hold you accountable for your part of the deal going bad.

Elections have consequences. 

Hi, I want to get invested into real estate however my uncle who is an accountant, says that I should wait till after election year.