Hello Ben,I had not forgotten you :) but I was referring to institutional lenders.

I am referring to what a homeowner gets out of a short sale.....

Now are you referring to an additional shutoff other than the one at the property's individual water meter?

I like to exercise that "risk muscle" that Frank McKinney refers to all the time.

Generation plants are dirty, too.I did track down a reference on the "net energy balance" for corn based ethanol and soybean based biodiesel.

I guess I understand what you are saying when you say "investing based on personal time and interest can be a disaster"...and "your best investments might be out of state"...actually I "get" everything you wrote in your post...But in reference to out of state investments, doesn't distance create management issues???

"Dirt-rich, cash-poor"This refers to the situation of having more land than cash to cover it and is a common outcome for an investor who accumulates a bunch of properties that have nothing in common but their owner.If you have multiple properties and are using the gains from some to cover losses in others and losing the battle, it's time to get off the treadmill, despite the temptation to hang on.Go through your portfolio in detail.

We've established relationships with three handymen with good references.

Everyone we knew was booked so we called around, asked for references without luck.Finally an ad appeared like magic in the local paper-- Stan Can Handle Any Repair, Large or Small!!!

Once you have done a large job, you can also use that job as a reference when looking for another job.Hopefully, with all the members in this forum, you may find that first job right here.Good luck to you.