Sure, but the reclamation and redevelopment as defensible condos and apartments -- complete with less urban sprawl -- can occur faster than you think.

That is not a defense, but people learn better through experience and that is being taken advantage of.  

You may want to live in a world of Wild West, anything goes business (I won't mention the orange haired political elephant in the room) but I assure you, your ignorant, uninformed, and weak defense of this sort of activity is not common.

A HUD complaint can cost thousands in defense, even if you are found innocent.

The advantage of Reg D over relying on the general exemption is (1) if you comply the SEC can’t come back and say you should have registered and (2) if your sued by a disgruntled investor you have a definitive defense, which means an attorney is unlikely to take an investors case on a contingency basis - unless fraud was committed.  

It could vary of course depending on the defenses of the tenant and if the court is presently backlogged.

@Wiley Hood DIY cost segregation tools like KBKG can be cost-effective for simple properties, but they lack the precision and audit defense of professional studies.

In my experience, most tenants will disappear when they receive the court summons because they have no defense.

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). 

-When a tenant moved out, the management company refunded their security deposit but failed to account for damage, such as holes in walls and outlets ripped off the walls, leaving me with repair bills and also tenants moving in without the repairs being done.Stuff like this that is consistent and when I ask questions they are defensive, when I ask for more quotes for high ticket items they are defensive.