However, the heated and gross square footage and number of rooms on the appraiser's website matches the information in the MLS ad, so I assume the county at least knows about this conversion, although I can find no proof that it was ever permitted.Has anyone here ever had any electrical or safety issues with tenants after buying one of these conversions?

Don's list is quite similar to his.The only thing I have to expand on is before you start demo/trash-out, complete any critical safety issues that may exist before you break out the crowbars.

First off, you brought up an old post from the dead and laws have changed, so if you have a question as to a L/O, might look at more recent posts and post a new question.No idea why hitting enter for a new paragraph would post this, so having to continue as an edit!!!!!

I am being VERY CAREFUL about advertising it since we all must be careful regarding fair lending laws (I won't even go into the Safe Act here).

You should put your own safety and your brother's safety first.

Well I wish you would have posted here BEFORE closing them out.Length of credit history in good standing DOES affect your credit scores.If you have other credit that has a long history it shouldn't affect you that much.If however closing the 3 credit cards with 7 years of history you know only have a few credit lines with only 1 year or 2 of being open that is not great.In the end it shouldn't hurt you too much.When they made the new credit card rules last year or was it the year before credit card companies raised interest rates and annual fees from no fees.So what happened is the great credit people lost benefits because Obama wanted people with bad credit to not be taken advantage of.The credit companies simply restructured to make the same money.So A law passed that had good intentions but was misguided.The government believes when they pass a law people or companies will just take the loss but it never happens.So in the end these laws are just spinning wheels and not doing anything.I know many people who have closed their accounts once interest rates go up or annual fees are imposed.The downside is people want to maintain credit but some credit companies have been closing accounts if you don't use enough and they make a certain amount of interest off of you.It is getting rediculuos.

When a property has been vacant for some time (the utility company knows this from their records), the utility company can consider it a safety hazard to turn on the utility service without some inspection and repairs being performed first.And repairs are probably something you wouldn't want to do.Also to add to his item #2, some utility companies either want to see proof of ownership of some sort, or a lease signed by a tenant and the known owner, to turn on utilities.

There are state laws that state who gets what if someone dies intestate.

You know my partner (and brother-in-law) Tom Cullen.

Or does the choice of law trump case law type rules?