If neighbor says they own it I would tell them I plan to construct a new one next to it on my property line even if I needed to lose a couple of feet of yard. 

Sometimes these can still work even if one spouse isn’t a first-timer.Now, if the house is upside down on its mortgage, there are a couple of things to consider.

Realistically im probably at least a couple years away.

Quote from @Rafael Valdor: Quote from @Anthony Therrien-Bernard: Quote from @Rafael Valdor: hi fellow investors,I want to rent out my townhouse in Calgary, but haven't had much luck with it on Rentfaster and Zillow.Just a couple of tire kickers so far.I reached out to a few Realtors (just for tenant placement) and got crickets...So I'm going to reach out to PM's next, but I was reluctant to do it since all I hear are horror stories.Any suggestions for half decent PM's or realtors who specialize in residential leasing?

Painting, for instance- an amatuer could take their time and paint a house over the course of a couple weeks and do a great job, but a professional crew could do the entire job in a day. 

If you were renting to an only a couple as a long term tenant and they beat each other up (domestic violence) your liability is minimal.  

This is because there is a tight coupling between market appreciation and rent growth.  

The key difference, though, was he spent months carefully getting to know the local architecs, reputable builders, and even a couple of niche design firms that specialize in modern builds for mid- to high-end buyers.

You're going to end up paying a lot more interest on a heloc than a 2nd mortgage, if you intend on holding that debt for more than a couple years. 

Reason being, I hired a property management company (just now) and they're wonderful, they start officially in a couple days.