So I have been living on a street in my hometown for a while and I always drove by this house that was tucked back in the woods and overgrowth everywhere to the point that you can barely see through the trees and shrubs to see the house. 

Check out the tree in front of our building.  

I see it as planting a money tree and I pick hundred dollar bills off it every month but still have the value of the tree plus any appreciation.

there is NO money for buy and holds.. from private investors  97% of the time.. private investors rarely want their money out for more than 12 to 24 months.. so your barking up the wrong tree there.also keep shopping... being new is harming you.. for sure there are many lenders HML who wont fund a first timer.. you need friends and family.. but there are those that will.here are some to check intoLendinghomepatch of landLima oneLendingone..all of those are quite competitive but again they also base their rates heavily on experience which you have none.. your going to have to pay to play.. gain experience for your experience bucket  then your rates will start to lower.. by the time you find this unicorn private lender you will be posting the same thing a year from now.

If the speaker shows you palm trees, blue water (swimming pools or beaches) and expensive cars and promises you never ending sources of secret deals and niche investment opportunities, you probably have just discovered the promoters of the gurus of real estate.Before you pay the full annual fee, show up and check it out for one night.

For warmth..a lot of clients are expanding to Desert Hot Springs/Joshua Tree CA and a few hidden gems on the radar in unincorporated Ventura County :)  

I do almost everything at my rentals myself , the exceptions are Air conditioning  and Large tree removal .  

Additionally, the yard had probably 10-15 trees, and every single one was clearly dead.

What causes this repair to go up in dollar terms is whether or not you have to dig in the street or not.It is common to have tree roots offsetting the slope of the line therefore causing back ups.

I'm a huge fan of Walgreens/Rite Aid, CVS, Wal-Mart Neighborhood Centers, and well-located Dollar Generals (a cut above Dollar Tree/Family Dollar).