Some "greatest hits" selected from the list of questions we have learned to answer BEFORE buying an apartment building:

1. Was the building EVER permitted by any relevant governmental authority?

2. Was the structure constructed on sub-standard fill, and is it now sinking?

3. Is there a foundation?

4. Was the lot ever used as a gas station, and are there underground tanks which might have leaked carcinogenic chemicals into the ground-water, which now have spread to other, neighboring lots?

5. Is the property adjacent to an existing or past gas station or dry cleaning plant which might have leaked chemicals onto OUR lot?

6. Are there actually as many apartments in the building as the Seller and listing broker advertised in the listing? Are all of the apartments permitted?

7. Is the Seller enmeshed in on-going habitability litigation with a rent-control tenant who can not be forced to leave the property?

8. Have scary local gangsters begun using the property as a clubhouse? Might they threaten us, our construction workers or future tenants with bodily harm?

9. Is the property subject to a consent-decree with city government to try to suppress on-premises sales of illegal narcotics?

10. Is there asbestos or lead paint on the property, and can we cost-effectively remove those materials in a manner which complies with the interlocking mesh of city, state, and federal regulations?

11. Does the future desirability of the units depend on the view, and might that view be blocked by a neighbor developing a gigantic structure on her lot?

12. Do any of the tenants keep farm animals as pets?

13. Is anyone running a prostitution ring from the laundry room or other common or private areas of the property?

14. Are any of the adjacent properties half-way houses for parolees or recovering substance abusers, which might affect the desirability of the units for future prospective tenants?

15. Do any of the neighboring properties routinely host unpermitted outdoor concerts?