[quote=scaredycat]wouldnt an inspection reveal if it were condemnable[/quote]
If they were competent, also your realtor should be able to give you some info.
I think the condemn case is very rare, I think it would have to be vacant a number of months before, also I think they give a lot more leeway if the owner/fixer is going to be living there (in RC anyway).
Usually I have see this in the older (were talking 60-70 years or more) neighborhoods close to the city centers. (they just don’t want eye sores in the city).