I fell for the trap personally.

I sort of fell into real estate when my wife and I realized it made more sense to rent out our Boston condo instead of selling it.  

., no heat in winter, no adequate plumbing) or something minor (the toilet roll holder fell off the wall).Gail

I fell into real estate by accident really, and was not paying attention to the details of my success.

I've always been intrigued by the stock market but fell more into real estate and as you say, much less volatility.

I have a one page cover sheet I add to each application with check boxes to show that they have the "deal breaker criteria", a section to score the "nice to have" criteria, and a section to briefly explain my acceptance or rejection.Our Criteria: Complete applicationVerifiable rental historySufficient income/resources to pay rent and liveCredit report showing prior addresses consistent with application We do not deny housing for race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap, sexual orientation, marital status, or familial status.We do deny housing to individuals:convicted of manufacturing or selling drugsconvicted of a crime the poses a threat to the property or neighborhood, including repeated disturbances, gambling, prostitution, violence, threats of violence, or rapewhere there is poor prior tenancy: evictions, violations, damage to rental property, poorly handled move outs, amounts are still owing to landlords or utilities.who misrepresent information on the rental application

I'm an air force vet, having served during the last five years before the Berlin Wall fell

No hard felling whatsoever. 

The deal fell through the day before the closing because the sellers could not afford to close.

I kind of fell into this situation that I wanted but I didn't take control as I should have early on.