go to homepath.com and see if you can find the contracts and print them up. i have not worked with many of them ( i am a licensed agent so i have worked a few deals with them, none investors so i don't normally read to much into that clause ) but somewhere in the counteract/adendum it will say when you can and can't sell the house.

The best way to counteract this, is by knowing your market well enough to understand what's too much.

You can use losses from depreciation to counteract other other real estate gains across your portfolio.Would your house make 20%+ more money if you rented it room by room on 6-12 month leases?

I mean it would be nice to counter act the price and cost of the mail and time.

If necessary you can chisel out some decayed spots but it is something you can do yourself or hire an apprentice mason there. 

This is just an example, but in my opinion the aspect of holding onto a flip for a short time, counteracts the some of the risk in using your cash.

I would just counteract by picking their brains a little bit to see how much research they've done before asking the question.

Too many competitors, nobody wants to go all the way down to AC to gamble when there are alternatives much closer (and a movement to allow casinos in northern NJ), the city is decaying, etc, etc.  

A good lease clearly outlines the obligations of both the resident and landlord and makes things run more smoothly when there are issues.That said, even the best lease cannot counteract the laws written by left-leaning states, nor the rulings of activist judges.

Yeah I've considered this too, every time I drive by one decaying in a nearby parking lot.