Ron Ricard ▪ Certified Exchange Specialist | Vice President | Account ExecutiveInvestment Property Exchange Services, Inc.

I certainly did not enjoy it at the time but learning to 1.) over come my fear of objection and 2.) sell an intangible product and 3.) work crazy hours has paid off dividends as an adult.

My objective was to find a place / location that I would enjoy to live, that had the potential to house hack, and a property that needed some minor work for me to gain experience in renovating / build equity, but also something that was livable starting day 1.The home has no HOA.

Jennifer,At the risk of sounding very negative I am not sure where the opportunity is with a deal like this.You would be upside down on the day of purchase, have to come up with $139K just to get into it (how many times can you do that before you have exhausted all available cash), take 14 years just to repay the down payment, and if you have never done student housing there can be a steep learning curve that could kill your first couple years of cash flow.You may have other investment objectives that make this a great deal... and that would be fantastic... but as presented I couldn't recommend this deal to an investor.Best of Luck!

Also @Matthew Perimian is our Fitchburg specialist if you have any questions about the area I’m sure he could be a great resource. 

Three of the gals who live in the home are senior student residents and object to the animals.

To bolster your point, you also say that "Professionals and specialists have their place...it's absolutely critical to...rely on specialists for specific problems that might have negative consequences."  

Your primary objective should be to create a financially unassailable position, and then build on that.

I seriously considered becoming a haz-mat specialist with all the lead paint and asbestos in these houses. 

You are correct about seeking objectivity.