In my humble opinion the greatest challenge in this business is the inability to “disconnect”.

They are disconnected from reality.

I had the utilities disconnected. 

Either hard to find any information on the owner or disconnected phone numbers!

Probates, utility disconnections, Trashout guys, Storage unit guys, code enforcement violations, delinquent taxes, etc.

So here in Texas, back in the old days as some of the oldtimer landlords tell me, they would just disconnect the electricity (i.e. - I don't mean calling the electric company, I mean removing the electric panel or all of the electric breakers), or they would remove the front door, or several windows.

@Robert Paquette Hey Robert, sounds like there may be a disconnect or maybe you are referring to residential properties.

That's funny...Or if the tenant isn't paying or communicating, go into the basement and blow out the pilot light on the water heater, a week or two later, disconnect the thermocouple on the furnace. 

One of the things I know from being an investor...someone who hires contractors to rehab my houses...and being a contractor...is that there is an inherent disconnect between what I think something should cost as an investor...and what it actually does cost as a contractor who has to make a profit. 

Properly managed means, you run it like a parking lot, not like a horizontal disconnected apartment building (owning the homes too).