There is also a peace of mind factor, I want the place I live to be as relaxing as possible, not someplace where my immediate neighbors feel they need to dodge or confront me because they are late on rent.   

Lenders have been getting more relaxed with who they lend to and requirements needed.

And let's not forget that the owner-financing borrower is almost always unable to obtain conventional financing, so in order to make them a loan, you (by definition) are having to relax underwriting standards relative to generally recognized guidelines.

So perhaps if the press starts crowing about how the recession is over, people will relax and money will start to circulate again.

I agree that having the financial muscle to take the property down AND complete can make all the difference.

For example, are the above issues from the landlord relaxing rules and renting to borderline tenants or do you find that these things are common even with your best tenants?

Needing a $100k may be 5 days of cash-flow for someone like Grant, but that's a high enough number to scare most of us from ever getting started, me included.Sacrifice and exercise your saving muscle to prevent schemes and scams, shortcuts and bad partnerships.  

I'm balancing a few factors, and would like some outside input.Medfield/Woodberry:-Medium-sized 3/2 rowhouses in the low $200s, many unrenovated - I'd call it a solidly lower middle class neighborhood, generally pretty relaxed and low-key-Walking distance to Hampden, Roland Park (one of the more $$$ neighborhoods in Bmore), a little further up the 83 from central Bmore/downtown-Very green, safe(r), parks, residential-Apparently has a good school districtBarclay/Station North:-Mixed residential and retail, "arts district", walking distance to Amtrak/Marc Penn Station-Not as safe.

There are so many people looking for a home so why does everybody have to be so cut throat about it relax a little seems like over half of the comments on this post were like they were insulted at the idea haha.

I think it will keep trickling down the income vine till it starts affecting home prices so much that middle income prices are no longer affordable in a small respect, but once people relax they will be views as affordable.