The typical financial tool would be to utilize the discounted cash flow method to arrive at present value.  

If you can't ride out a crash in the next 5-10 years, be more cautious in your purchase- especially in the LA market where the 0's are plentiful :-) AKA easy $1M dollar properties. best of luck!

Well Robert, it looks like you will have your hands full for Thanksgiving, if your little one arrives before then!

Somehow, through some miracle, (and also a crappy fulfillment company) the course still arrived.

This provided the cash to finance the next few properties after the market crashed.    

The property sold for over $150,000 in 2007, so not a war zone...now granted that was then, before the crash, but the if the market is projected to recover at some slow but predictable rate, then appreciation could happen, but won't if the intrinsic value of the homes has decreased because now they are vacant and boarded up.

I am formally promoting you to CEO of this local movement and look forward to the date and time I need to arrive. :-) 

Not sure the realities or risks but I know it happens  Oh, I'm sure it does happen, wait until someone crashes or someone dies because they couldn't get mom to a hospital, see how negligent homicide or reckless endangerment stacks up to an unlawful repo or bill collection tactic. 

next time just change out the locks and avoid as much conflict as possible. in Detroit police always take hour to arrive so if you're alone you're in trouble, better to have the tenants be your friends than your enemies. 

Some of the repairs were very silly:-A strip of wood on the exterior laundry door isn't painted and she says it needs to be fixed-The fridge ice maker doesn't work and she was told this when she inspected and now 6 months later she's demanding it produce ice-They have mice and want me to exterminate although it's a SFRI provided 48 hours written notice we would be attending to repairs.I arrived at the appointment time with 2 contractors to get everything done.