They suggested adding an external cleanout for about $8,000, and we agreed to split the cost by adjusting the home’s price.However, after installing the cleanout, we discovered that the actual problem was far more severe.

I am an agent and investor in the Phila area and I have actually purchased my own house hacks as a means of investment.Feel free to reach out anytime if you are looking to connect and chat more about the market and househacking!

I actually had to get enough units where I could offer tenants multiple housing options when I purchased properties rented at way under market rates and then (an embarassing number of times) personally watch tenants that would "suffer" from a rent increase turn down smaller (but nicer places) or  nicer places in a less prestigious zip code (sometimes only minutes away) before I realized that I was hampering my ability to earn a living in order to subsidize the lifestyle choices made by a some random stranger that happened to live in a property I bought.

However now you have to spend time or money to figure out which one of those contacts actually wants to sell. 

You’d be shocked by how little actual screening many PMC’s do!

Well if you're raising for a boutique hotel, I'm guessing you're gonna need quite a bit.

I'd guess you'd do at least as well as that offer, if not better.

Con's- more expensive monthly, locking us down to CLT/ condo building for what I am guessing at least 5 years to at least make it worth it. not as much revenue/wealth building opportunity as duplex

I didn't choose this profession per se; I'm actually disabled and needing to do this to supplement my income (although I have felt immense appreciation for the good tenants and proud of the way I continue to learn).Now I am in the process of my first eviction with regards to my current basement tenant (they're just not paying me rent, everything else is fine with this person but their financial excuses have been hard to keep track of since the beginning).  

Guess what, now they can't afford it....doesn't mean we have a 'housing crisis'.And local Govts have always struggled to manage taxpayer money, and always will.