they appreciate, they provide other benefits like passive losses for tax purposes, and in the short term, they don't throw off that elusive passive income.

I don't even think its worth a sub-toSounds like you spoke to collections (who will tell you anything to get money) and not loss mitigation, as paying back due balances are NEVER part of a short sale.

means deeding it back to the lender if they will accept it.. easier said than done they may want you to sign a prom note for any loss they could incure.. the thing to do is get the best cash offer you can then ask bank to do short sale if you dont have enough cash or equity to sell . 

When i read about how their deal was really messed up with most investor probably going to take huge loss's its not shocking.. you have to stay right on top of these and have the manpower to do it.

No one I know is going anywhere to report their loss so you can research it.

I believe it tends to give me a slightly lower return, because the sponsor is going to be more careful, and if there is a severe downturn will prevent me from taking catastrophic losses.

Let's analyze each issue you've mentioned:1) Tenancy Length: besides issues a landlord can't control, like death, sickness, job loss, etc., the actual management of the property & tenant play a large roll in how long tenants stay in their home.

Sometimes it's best to cut your losses and move on.

There are some accumulated passive losses but not much.

Can you sell without a large loss?