But the guy that owned the place was a great salesmen and taught me some life long techniques for closing.

That being said, you have to life there and if you have real problems or need cosmetic updating, it's worth it to address those.

(My current HSA allows me to invest in mutual funds, which I'm doing.)The takeaway is to look at your alternatives from both a current cashflow basis and a life-long cashflow perspective when making your decision.DISCLAIMER: I'm neither a lawyer nor tax specialist, so do your own due diligence.

However I'm afraid she'll be able to claim financial hardship due to health issues despite having easily $400K of equity in her property. 

always get a sewer scope in your inspections.. most plumbing works fine when you have a home inspection and run the water a few minutes and flush each toilet.thing manifest themselves once they are put into real life use. 

Based on your situation I would always lean towards preventing moisture in the crawl space and looking out for possible tenants health.  

That's middle ground for a service life on those items.And to the question in your title, what is your definition of "best"?

But, what are your goals as far as life and real estate?

Mold is everywhere, but there can be a health issue if readings are excessive as compared to the control sample and as compared to what is considered a normal indoor fungal ecology.

Then when you have a few of these sending you cash flow, you can pretty much run your life freely without having to keep a boss happy.