I know most of us here at BP are stand up folks but sad to say, I've learned the hard way many times, to default to a defensive stance.

hi aaron. quite the dilema. personally, i have never dealt with anything of this sort of deal, but here is what i would do. first, make the offer minus the $80k. my guess is that they would take the deal. then, have that inspection done on the well and septic. you have to know where you stand right now. eventually, the city will enforce hooking up to city water and sewer but they will probably follow the path of requiring it when one or the other fails and they do not issue a permit to put in a new well or septic. in that case, you really need to know where you stand now. if you have a few years left, then start saving. take some of that cash flow and set it aside knowing whats coming up and possibly when. by that time, you should be able to refinance and make the necessary ( required) repairs. 

We got our signs from http://www.supercheapsigns.com and we got the HD stands for our signs it cost more but last longer.

They are in fact knocking down the end part of the wing (what had been a free-standing billiard room that was then connected to the main house by a summer kitchen) and re-building it from scratch.

If we start flat lining (meaning modest 3-5%ish)* price growth, then we stand a better chance of having a smooth correction in a couple years. * yeah that's how we roll here; double digit appreciation is expected during good times. 3-5% is considered meh, flat ;)3- as mentioned above, buying marginal deals now has risks!  

Their response was no, the lease stands, live with it.

Then comes to the email - due to a scheduling conflict, looks like we'll need to find someone else.If you've ever organized an event, you probably know what this feels like - panic sets in and you imagine standing in front of your audience, gulping and trying to explain "how unexpected events sometimes happen.."

If you are on BP a few markets stand out more than others.

I am at a bit of a stand still since I have never seen an actual offer.

Someone has to stand out, become the leader (or the parent) and invest in training.