Hi John,Seems we are in the same neck of the woods.

Pex is the exception around here, by far not the rule.Copper is a no-go in my neck of the woods due to theft and the fact that it costs a small fortune.

Termite infested balcony rails, severe wood rot in garage doors, etc.I'm thinking these maintenance problems at so many HOA's are due to the recession.

If not, as the new owner, this would be a good time to get rid of the dead wood.

I've asked an HOA here in Southern Cal for an electronic copy of their reserve study, since we are thinking about putting an offer in on a condo (the exterior railings of the complex have extensive wood rot and termite damage).

I've been pretty successful and only ate about $500 in damages once (knock on wood).

Keith - This is not meant to be an insult, but I think you are hung up on the "Banks are bad" mantra that we hear so often and are losing sight of the practical effects of what you saw.

I now my market so well now, I'm in deployed to Afghan and buying sight unseen cause I have built up a good team.

Looks like hard wood & tile, or laminate when finished.

there was cat pee and human odor throughout the house, the front door had been smashed in and it was without a security screen, the kitchen bench tiles were breaking off and the wood underneath was sinking in due to it constantly being wet and moulded out, the skirting boards were disgusting and the shower had so much soap scum that it took me 8 times with bleach and hard scrubbing to get it halfway decent followed by another 6 times to get it to where it was clean enough.