The best defense against rats entering your property is to seal off all entry points (holes, cracks in walls), remove food sources (dirty dishes, food left in trash cans), and water sources (like leaks). 

But she never did.

Quote from @Jonathan Greene:I have never built from the ground up.

(Of course, it never worked.)

If you were limited in cash reserves atleast you'll have the HELOC as a 2nd or 3rd back up source of funds to weather storms.

Please consider Syndirater.com as a source of reviewing and writing about Real Estate Syndications.

I’m not an excel guru and could never have built a spreadsheet.

At the end of the day, they're not looking out for your best interests.

Other sources may get you leads but more don't pan out in my experience.   

Brandon Turner here on BP has written a few good books to help.Lessons Learned:  Never let your emotions get in the way.