In any case, I would say that it's going to costing me a minimum of $200 per month in perpetuity.I am very keen on the notion of using this as an opportunity to significantly change my cash flow on the building by eliminating the gas bill (for me, anyway:)  I see a few options:1.)

It also may or may not be successful, but it's what I'd probably have done immediately.As others have said, you can try to pay off some debt asap to eliminate those monthly minimums, that may let you bridge the gap if you can swing it.You can ask the seller for help, though it's pretty unlikely that will go well given that your contingencies are removed.Best bet would probably be to appeal the appraisal, and have your agent be very communicative with the sellers on the issue and the steps your taking to resolve it.

You want to be cautious because in this scenario you're not exactly eliminating debt.  

What I meant in my original post is to minimize the probability - I know there is no way to eliminate negative experience probability.

We are putting vinyl plank flooring in each unit as they need flooring, so that eliminates carpet replacement. 

The double commission motivates them to choose you over other buyers, and it eliminates the hassle of dealing with agents that don't understand our intentions as investors.

I understand that if you replace all the big items, you can 'eliminate' CapEx if you're sure you're selling that property within 10 years.

That is highly unethical and probably illegal; however, internet sites such as Zillow making all MLS properties readily available to consumers, the "knowledge paradox" has all but been eliminated, so my hunch is that this probably occurs less than we all suspect.

If you buy on a 30 yr fixed you could answer that question, which eliminates that risk.Same holds for investment property.  

That being said, tenant screening is paramount to eliminating many of the potential headaches.