The first tech asked me what happened because someone butchered my system. 

In some cases, YES but for most investors specially the newbies, I will not recommend buying alligators (properties you have to feed).Maybe once you have a five positive cashflow properties then maybe you can feed an alligator...provided you can butcher (meaning sell) that alligator in a hurry and get to your FAT profit fast  :-)

I'm totally paraphrasing/butchering it but: Hypothetically, this gold nugget is worth $500.    

What I found out quickly is its a lot cheaper to replace blinds than it is to replace wood trim that's been butchered with a bunch of nail holes.

Chipmunks are just as destructive as rats - zapp it, or you will regret.....  

The point Al is trying to make is that people will take this high level information, enter it into TurboTax  and completely butcher their tax position. 

But given the choice between them being hacked up by whatever tree butchers he got and doing it myself carefully, the choice was obvious. 

Hand cut and stained butcher block countertops.

Solar, propane for heater & shower, mini split, fridge that runs off DC, tongue & groove ceiling with puck lights, farm house sink with butcher block counter tops, full bed with storage underneath, 3 seatbelts connected to couch that turns into 2nd full bed, all electric is stored under bench, an induction stove top, fully furnished with pots, pans, and work out essentials, and our favorite part: A ROOFTOP DECK to enjoy the sites.

And I think the Real Estate brokerage community does a pretty good job with this.You take your pre license education that teaches you some basic fundamentals and the terminology.. ( see on BP how many butcher even the most basic terminology ).