I assume a rental.The plywood isn't the issue.In bathrooms generally leaks from commode and from the bath are the main culprits.People get out of the bath and shower and do not get off standing water.Having a real good waterproofing caulk that expands and contracts with the weight of the tub and floor movement is best for floor to baseboard joints seals.The cheaper caulk dries and is not flexible and when you have movement then a crack develops and water starts to get in behind there.So this is one place where I spend the little extra money for the good stuff.The leak for the sub floor had to be a really long time as it takes years and years of a constant leak to rot it out like that.

I prefer houses 10 years old or newer but am flexible.

Private lenders and hard money lenders, while easier to work and more flexible with terms than conventional banks, are going to require some skin in the game, especially with neither of you having any experience.

One of the keys to being successful in the real estate industry is being flexible.

Go for a fourplex or as big as you can - especially if you have handyman skills.Benefit should include:1 - a tremendous amount of flexibility in moving at a later date to pounce on a killer SFH.2 - the absolute most profitable way to use your VA benefit (BTW - thank you for your service).3 - generally speaking, a fourplex should greatly offset your rent as an onsite owner - you might be able to live nearly rent-free.Some things to consider.

If the existing pipe is at all flexible (polybutylene or PVC, for example), you can generally attach the new pipe to the old pipe and just pull it all the way through the existing trench.

It will probably be an office building, built as a condo project, which allows us flexibility in marketing.

While a smaller association will likely be more flexible, I think risks of special assessments or financing issues would be much higher. 

Stick with 30 due to the flexibility if provides.

So at the end of the day its a wash.)I also wanted to mention that the FHA guidelines are not very flexible on the removal of the MIP.