I have focused primarily in RE/municipal/corporate law and I think I have a fairly strong background in the contract side of things (purchase and sale, leases, etc.).I come from a family of plumbers and contractors - my dad owns and operates a remodel company and I have a couple of years experience working in that field prior to law school.

i.e. run water in the drains, flush the toilet, check sump pumps, clean gutters etc. that will keep the house in good condition during his absence.

It was a foreclosure that the previous owners completely remodeled-new windows, carpet, kitchen and bath and then took the AC, fridge, above the stove microwave and copper water pipes with them when they left.

When someone shows up late for a meeting with me, I instantly throw their credibility in the toilet.

What are you going to do in the winter with the toilet, water, etc. 

She didn't understand why I wanted to waste my time with these annoying tenants and deal with gross problems like toilets and drain lines.

Since they are high volume managers, they have licensed plumbers/electricians/HVAC/handymen available daily, and for rates that are better than what I can find.So let's play out a scenario - toilet overflows at 5 pm on a Sunday. 

When I say issues I mean the toilet backed up Sunday and they completely bypass calling the property manager and are telling the city that the property manager can't be reached.

We plan to do a complete remodel like we have in the past with success.

The duplex, on the other hand, was custom-built for an heiress in the 1920s, remodeled and sold in 1945, and was poorly maintained and updated by a fool and his family from 1951 on as the neighborhood inexorably deteriorated from its high point in the 1940s.I've managed to get the county tax assessment for this duplex down by 33%.