His job is to get elected; in spite of the fact the parade may be heading over a cliff (he'll hop out of the way in time).One might wonder if democracy may not be the best form of government suited to capitalism.

There's a LOT of conflict involved in being a LL that will come at you from many directions: neighbors, government, tenants, repair-people, and so on.Your best defense is a strict adherence to all codes and laws, a clear and enforceable lease, and documentation.Unfortunately, in spite of being totally in the RIGHT you can still show up in small claims court and LOSE!

In spite of the "problems" that I/we face in the real estate world... this business ROCKS!

I would think that the property is still legally the sellers in spite of the fact that he is behind on payments until the paperwork is filed with the county...am I wrong?

Susan, it is obvious that you have what it takes and I also notice some hostility on BP, not sure what brings it on, I guess we humans tend to be emotional beings, for better or worse, sometimes a little sparring gets us enthused and makes us realize who we are deep down inside in spite of it all... just my simple two cents worth, not aimed at anyone; I just happen to enjoy 99% of what I read here and would hate to lose any of the quality contributors, ego and all!

That's encouraging that you succeed regardless of the distance, or in spite of it.

Land Lording can be a challenge in some jursidictions.I doubt many places can be as difficult to own rentals as Baltimore Maryland and yet I was able to make great cash-flow in spite of difficult laws and very liberal judges.There are always ways to handle tenants like the ones in the story.... it starts with who you allow to let rent from you and continues with how well you manage and train them.Do that well and most issues will never become problems.

But when all is said and done, I do love it inspite of all the frustation.

And I figured a portfolio of cheap condos might be much more profitable than buying an apartment complex in spite of the lack of control over a portion of the expenses.But I generaly dislike the lack of control thing so I would only consider it if the deal is simply too good to refuse.

One of my favorite motivational sayings is this: The rich act in spite of fear while others allow fear to stop them.This holds true and I have seen consistently that those who allow fear to stop them, never really get ahead.If you are one of the many contemplating some type of real estate investing strategy and have been too scared to start or too fearful of taking action, then you need to realize what is stopping you.