[villagetinker]

IMHO,

Contact ARC and see that ALL modifications to the property AND landscaping have prior ARC approval.
Contact the building department and confirm that the correct permits were pulled and inspections completed for any and all modifications to the house, you might want to work with Frank of both of these.
I would absolutely go with a title insurance company to make sure there are NO liens or other open actions against the property.
If you can talk to the neighbors, they can be a wealth of information. Ask if the homeowner was a DIY type person, there might be a lot more to look for.

I also tend to agree with some of the above comments, we could have easily paid cash for our house, instead we got 3% mortgage and almost 10% average return on investments over the the last 7 years (not including the last 3 months....), but of course this is a personal choice.

Hope this works out for you, Welcome to TV.