Originally posted by Steve Babiak:Improperly vented exhaust from gas heaters and hot water heaters.I had a heating business in the eighties and went on a service call for an oil fired water heater that had quit running.

If you include the utilities in their rent be careful so they don't run up electric, heat, A/C for excessive amounts.

As I got close to the vents I realized a book had fallen into the heating element and was off gassing.

Who pays heat?

Duplex (2 on a lot) 3/1 House built in 1900 with large kitchen, finished basementBack unit built 1998, modern 1/1 open floor plan with radiant heat, heated 2 car shop/garageAsking price: $299kOffer of $225k max, owner carry with $15-18k down, 3-4 year carry amortized over 30, refi into conventional.Potential rents: $2300 mo (ballpark low market): 1400/900.

You can buy new burner-pans & even elements on amazon, & all a tenant really wants is *clean* & functional.

How difficult would it be to separate the boiler into different zones so the tenants pay the heat?

I'm calling it tricked out, but it really is about as nice as you could make an 1131 square foot 3/2 1960s box without adding on or changing any architectural elements.

Give him a 90 day note, going 6 months he may lag behind thinking he has time, perhaps time is not really of the essence, he'll end up in putting it on the market in January or February and your market may not heat up until April.In other words, you need to know your local market, the scope of work, the time really required, the borrower's work load, his abilities and past performance.

What I'm truly surprised by are all the commonsense elements of networking that are completely lost on people.