I grew up in a fishing community and when I was a kid everyone dumped their garbage over the rail ... many drained old engine oil in shaft alley and pumped it out with the bilge water.

If the range was part of the chattel rented with the apartment, then yes, the landlord is responsible to have it fixed.

For example, would the median house price be a good range if I am considering the rentability (e/g. a down market or a financial crash of some sort)?

You can't learn to swim by watching a video or reading a book, you've got to jump in, splash around, swallow some water and sink to the bottom a couple times before you figure it out.When I take a lump in life that costs me time or money, I tell myself I just paid for some education that you can't get from a college course or a guru, because I know I won't be repeating that mistake again.

Recently, however, HUD pools have been trading in the mid-60% range.

A financially distressed seller can get into all kinds of trouble which could result in having additional liens come against the property (back property taxes, irs liens, child support, water/sewer, etc), or they could lose the property altogether by foreclosure.

Gas inserts typically cost between $500-$2500 and installation into an existing masonry fireplace ranges between $500 and $1500.

One concern I have is that it has a hot water baseboard heating system compared to forced air.

Do you know what price range or number of units you are interested in for your first multi-family?

Slow to reach my goal of 20k saved I stopped at 10k and purchased a hud home for myself at 70k with comparable properties ranging from 90k to 120k with an FHA loan and 3.5% down.