I'll be there. count me in on whatever you cook up. if I can do anything let me know

@Angie Cook Timely post!

I’d stay away from a large amount of Warren county for buy and hold, mostly septic and oil heat which would be a nightmare (oil heat is expensive and septic I wouldn’t trust with just any tenant).

My intention is to not initially increase the rent, make some improvements to the efficiency of their HVAC systems (go from ancient oil to high-efficiency gas) and, once I have the work done, increase the rent to compensate.

I'd go with an oil based or shellac and use a respirator.

Both have submetered electric and one has individual thermostat controlled electric heaters in each unit.The major expenses that the landlord pays for between the two properties include:Common oil boiler (10 yrs old) feeding steam system ($9k/year oil bill) in one property - does anyone have experience with gas conversion/replacement and submetering with a steam system?  

Is there a living room and kitchen or are they sitting on couches on the back yard and cooking on a BBQ?!

Although in JP, it's entirely possible that the fuel is oil, not gas.  

(Think about how buying a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken in the deli is more expensive than buying a raw chicken and some spices and doing it yourself.)

Cook County, Lake County, and DuPage seem to be affected the most.