Insurance increases are the only reason I lose about $400 a year now.   

What you don't want is to be one of the people that got swept up in the growing trend of real estate investing and overpays for their first property and then loses interest in real estate while still having to pay back the loan. 

@Lorraine PattersonI and many others would generally not stay at a place where I cannot have a king bed to sleep in so you will lose out on a percentage of potential rentals without a king.  

Once they started process of getting solar panel transferred there was another $5800 to be paid ….seller was told they agreed to pay the $5800….buyer wants out will they lose their earnest money.

I still lose $1000 a month to taxes, insurance, and utilities, but the $1000 in costs beats the $2000 in rent I was paying, I now use OPM to pay down the mortgage and HELOC payments totaling $2550 a month, and my home has already appreciated $30000.

I say reasonable because some landlords lose perspective, I think.  

In those cases you would need an extension from the municipality or lose your non conformity. 

It almost doesn't seem worth it unless I find myself in a position down the road where the cost of building is less of a burden.If I sell I probably would only get $225k for the duplex once built (minus fees) but I'll have paid $275k so I sort of stand to lose an equal amount if not a little bit more

That is because YOU are the one who will lose your property if they are not paid.

Make sure you have at least one contingency left or you’re going to lose your earnest deposit.