It's called inflation...and sellers, good or bad, don't "go away"...they just adjust.4 Posts in and firing bullets at imaginary objects isn't going to get you ejected from the site. 

Or should we bite the bullet and get a mentor that may or may not save us some growing pains? 

Are their studies inclusive of energy tax benefits?

going to depend on the season and if your utilities are electric or gas . also will depend on the energy efficiency of the home 

The stylish kitchen includes quartz counters, shaker-style cabinets, and stainless steel energy-efficient appliances.

Keep your energy and focus up... connect with like-minded people your age and older than you.Also save up as much $ as you can now ...

It looks like you're on target with the bullet points you provided here.I do this type of deal all the time, feel free to connect with me to discuss more (preferably tag me back in a reply here so I can provide value to everyone with public replies).You can catch up the arrears, make monthly payments, and either LTR, STR, or wrap-sale it to yet another end buyer for a markup!

I chuckle these days when I have friends mention a Canadian "ghetto".The barrier to entry (housing prices) would be the biggest factor in my opinion and therefore you'd need significantly greater capital to get started compared to the US.I had done some personal research in the past regarding investing in the US as a Canadian and you could do it from both ends:Canadian using a Canadian bank to finance a US property (think retirees buying places in FL or AZCanadian using a Canadian based bank that now has a foothold in the US (ie, TD, RBC, even Scotia)Canadian using a US bank to qualify for a property - clearly more work and have to talk to the right places.I won't get into my opinions of the housing market back in Canada in general, but opportunities will present themselves at all times...I just think you'll spend a lot more time and energy having to pursue it and garner a significant amount of capital to get started.

Based on my experience with hoarders - Leave it alone.Unless they are causing damage you really don't want to spend your energy chasing that.

.** New construction homes are built to the latest building codes, which means they are more energy-efficient and require less maintenance than older homes.