Basically a way of hedging my bets.

I think every area is going to be different, but from my experience, Lowes and HD installers arent going to be your best bet for quality.

Your best bet would be to find a Hard Money Broker that will lend out your money for you for a small fee.

Your best bet is to wait till it hits the MLS or contact the Listing Agent and try to submit an offer as early as possible.

I'd bet his repair costs would be excessive as well.

The auditor thinks for a moment and says, “Okay, Go ahead.”Ralph says, “I’ll bet you a thousand dollars that I can bite my own eye.”The auditor thinks a moment and says, “No way!

I'll bet I've talk to well-over twenty thousand (20,000!)

Your best bet is to go in and talk to the respective inspectors and figure out what is the most cost effective way to come into compliance.Selling the home to a prospective buyer without disclosing the known issues is a big no-no. 

If you are only looking to hold it for 5 years, then you definitely have to bet on a good appreciation growth, since selling the house down the line cost money.

I'm going to echo @James Masotti, and suggest that your best bet is to ask the City directly what you would need to do precisely to get the change done.