To kill the smoke smell, otherwise it could be a real stinker.

When someone start talking that game, or how it should be an honor to work for them, you already know their blowing smoke.

I guess I will chalk all of this up to a learning experience, and now I know that wIth old places we should have paid the plumbers to do a smoke test during the due diligence period.

Even if you find a smoking deal, it's still hard to cash flow at this rate.

If the rafters are painted it was probably done to "seal" wood that has smoke marks and keep the smoke and fumes from smelling up the house.

There were a few other issues such as electrical grounding on certain outlets, insulation concerns, and there were no smoke detectors.

Would a turboed 90s 4-cyl honda be considered a POS when it smokes your bimmer? 

There were burn marks in the cabinets from cigarettes (it was a non smoking house according to lease),  there was red something on the light colored carpet,  the ceiling fan in master bedroom was broke and hanging from the ceiling by its wires, there were hundreds of nails in the walls for nick nacks and pictures, the natural wood wainescoat in the dining room had crayola and finally the back door frame and stud was busted. 

The fire was caused by a cigarette left on the sofa.

In China they've found the deaths are largely males, that smoked.