if you get around to doing demo on the walls you must consider using containment (plastic barriers) to prevent the spread of spores all through the basement.Carefully and slowly cutting small pieces of damaged wallboard is safer than hitting it with a hammer or breaking out large pieces.The EPA has a great guide document on doing it yourself vs. using outside contractors.You are right.

The HML wants to prevent this.

" The harder you work, the luckier you get" - Gary Player

You also can't protect buyers or sellers by a list of known players in the market.

Other than actually assuming the loan, no way to actually prevent the DOS, however likely that event may be.

In other words, preventing or limiting any discount that might be applied in the future to the loan.

These are just some of the preventive measures any user can take on their own without spending the big bucks for a fix.

Go down there as much as you can before your house comes to auction and just watch the process and who the players are.2.

Don't blame the players who worked the system, and don't blame the system.

Get referrals for skilled trades from other investorsAnd rememberAn ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.