But oftentimes it is dry in there and they can just March right in, swim through the P trap water and pop up in the bathtub,  Sinks,  Toilets or floor drains.

They also do not often do any soil sampling or other testing when providing an initial bid.

Don't Overspend and do you diligence first before the ink is dry.

@Gaston Ortega   Just to expand on the already long post above.....I've seen a couple of dry cleaner buildings in the sales this year. 

I'm finding the deals drying up in my area around Tucker/Decatur.

These are major things like (all estimated include labor + materials):1. roof with heavy granular loss and near end of live (needs replacement) - estimated $9K2. foundation grading needs - estimated $1k3. new HVAC needed - estimated $12k4. wood rot on housing in numerous places + wood trim repair/replacement - estimated $2k5. new water heater needed on 1 side - estimated $3k6. rotted facia and soffet - estimated $3k7. soil grading - estimated $1k8. bad electrical wiring that must be rectified by electrical - estimated $1k9. exterior vent repair - $50010. broken window repairs - $50011. exterior paint - $3kone entire side is not renovated (which is fine - but still alone needs it's only 10-20K worth of work to make marketable like the other side - flooring, paint, appliances, and cabinets)estimated total without renovated duplex side: $36-40Kestimated total WITH renovated duplex side: $56-80Kwhat's making me think twice:lender and agent are close (not unusual)things that the appraiser DID NOT find compared to the home inspector made it a perfect pass for FHA loan.

Farther than that, it'll suck your life dry, unless you have a great, reliable property manager.

You want to make sure there are no environmental issues if it was used for purposes like a mechanic's shop or dry cleaners, etc.And rely on your real estate agent to connect you with the right people to help do this investigative work.

Also, the materials generally used to build homes in cold clients requires more maintenance that materials used in hot dry climates.

San Diego utility companies are notorious for sucking everyone in the city dry.