If I were in your shoes, I would do two things -Thing #1 - Make sure you and your wife are on the same page - You will have an uphill battle if you guys want different things out of life - BUT if you are both working towards the same goal, it will be a fun ride!

She said she had a lot of problems at home (just won a custody battle) and couldn't afford to move out, otherwise she would have (same as the first tenants).

Also, I suspect that going to battle over keeping them in the lease would just cost more in legal fees than it would recover and would not improve the situation.Would appreciate any suggestions on minimizing/eliminating breaking of lease in the future.

Both died in their late 50's after years of suffering COPD.They had the walls completely covered with that old Italian felt patterned wallpaper so after removing that & using several layers of shellac the smell was gone.

Don't get passed by waiting for an opportunity that looks and smells exactly like your last experience. 

Long story short I went through some very difficult times in my early 20s due to a divorce and multiple custody battles.

Buliding smells, everything is dated from applicances to the layout to the paint. 

Beginning out with no money, an bankruptcy and poor credit is a major up hill battle.

It's a bummer, it's annoying, but you're better off finding a buyer that wants to go through with the purchase than worrying about battling over EMD.

@Casey Briggs   I believe you have an uphill battle to deal with .