Sometimes the KISS Principle works - esp. for just 1 property. 

This is the golden principle for investing.

Quote from @Barrington Smith: Contractors that give free estimate in the Fort Lauderdale areaHey @Barrington Smith that’s going to be a somewhat tough task, and it comes back to basic principles of those who crush fields:-the guy who does great work often values his time a lot and won’t give a free estimate-the guy who is hurting for work often will.  

Less money for non-essentials like vacations.4.

And at no fault of their own – cashflow is what they were SOLD on.Here's what I want you to understand about “buy and hold” residential real estate:Let’s use a single family home with a property value of $300,000Let’s use an initial loan amount of $240,000Let’s use an interest rate of 7.25%And I’m going to give you $150 of cash flow per monthUse a 5% appreciation amount for your propertyLet’s see what happens after 5 years:After 5 years…$150 of cash flow per month = $9,000Your mortgage has been paid down to $227,000 = $13,000Your property is now worth $382,000 = $82,000So that’s $9,000 of cash flow, $13,000 of principle buy down, and $82,000 of appreciation.

If you need to build reserves after acquiring the property, allocating a portion of the rent towards reserves is essential, aiming for at least 10-15% of the gross monthly rent until you reach a comfortable level, ideally 3-6 months of rental income.

The second cause, and one that is not used as frequently, is essentially a monetary lawsuit. 

It's essential to remember that you are the one who needs to do the heavy lifting when making a purchase decision.

DO NOT use HUD's maximum rent allowance as a metric for determining your own market rent.Moreover, when a section 8 tenant applies for rental assistance, the housing provider will essentially underwrite their application to determine their voucher amount.

To play into this matter, the answer is due to the free market and the principle of supply and demand (Carlos' point).