While I agree that this is the case in many situations there are countless studies that show how highly education is correlated with lifetime earnings and wealth.

Hard money and buy and hold don't mix well together.Only buy and hold if you can replace your hard money loan with a cheaper alternative.

Alternatively, a property like this may be a long term play.

Would that be a better alternative without risks?

But, I certainly don't want anyone in the house that isn't paying.The alternative would be to post something on the door that says the seller has agreed to sell the house and they need to identify themselves.

So you might see some back-up heating system even with geothermal, if my hunch is on target.I vaguely recall something about thermostats being a bit different when they are operating with some of these alternative heat sources; you might check the model number of the thermostat and see what it leads to.Lastly, in my area the source of heat is part of the tax assessor records, so that you could look it up in the event of concerns about heating fuel source.

Kotlikoff says, the only alternative would be a massive printing of money by the U.S.

Alternatively, use the one the bank does when you go to get the loan.

The only other alternative would be to otherwise come up with the proof of funds with your offer.

As an alternative I was thinking of replacing it with a forced air system, though with 2 stories that may take up the whole rehab budget.But just wondering if leaving the monster (and avoiding possibly high removal cost) and just adding a system in the basement and ducts through the floor, plus another in the attic and ducts through the ceiling would sound like a smart idea.