The only other route I could think of is buying in cash and re-financing later (though this would require me to find a lender that would do so).

Just be sure to cash-out refi to close down the HELOC later otherwise that balloon payment can sneak up on you. 

Moisture can make cat urine smells come out later in too....

He then later apologized to my contractor and said he had a bad week.

I did a "subject-to" then a few months later refi'ed into my own name.

The payment difference was $150 a month and I refinanced 7 months later back down to a 2.5 with no points or anything.

It is my understanding that that arrangement limits your flexibility in moving real property assets around and can create a taxable event if you later decide to move the property into a different entity.

Well now months later, the toilets are not backing up but the tenant is still complaining about the smell.

This helps the installers work with the material a little bit easier and it also helps make sure the material is installed at the same temperature of the house, creating less of an issue with expansion/contraction later on.

They have the lowest rates we can find and since they are 30 year fixed...they allow us to cash flow better...which helps us qualify for other loans later.