So, I've got a difficult tenant.The main point is that he hasn't paid rent since September. 

My main concern with the Japanese market is that I really know nothing, and I find it a bit hard to find information about it, but I guess I also know "nothing" about property markets anywhere other than maybe Hong Kong. 800 square feet is not tiny by Hong Kong standards, you are absolutely correct, but just as you mentioned we have a live-in helper and are hoping to start having kids about 1.5 years later.

Real estate's "gross rent multiplier" is Wall Street's "sales to revenue",  "cap rate" is roughly "P/E ratio".When evaluating markets and investments I tend to start with GRM (or lazily the 1% rule), then attempt to return a cap rate based on assumptions about costs, then I work my way to multiple years of projections (assumptions about inflation, amortization, tax benefits, etc), and if I am partnering with one of my smart friends I have to pull up an IRR (internal rate of return).I also look at regional employment levels, median income to rent ratio in the zip code etc. 

But tax benefit of MTR if there is difference between the 2 vehicle.

The main challenge was that there was considerable deferred maintenance.

FreedomSoft doesn't do anything but monetize CL and other obvious public info for their benefit.

there was a group of 8 of us that pooled money in a Cabal myself and one other were the main money guys the others put in smaller amounts and when we won one.. we would divy up interest prorata to the amount contributed.. this kept those guys from competing against us and for sure we bid up newbies .. really the only ones that would beat us were those that wanted to live in the house and would just go almost all the way to retail or above .. or someone bidding on a second thinking it was a first and no one is going to help you if you dont know what your doing.. this is a very caveat emptar bizz.

I have started investing for a few years and had some good results with a few GPs but even those GPs who had been coaching other people had really bad results this year (mainly no distribution).

I don't plan on selling; I'm mainly just curious how people make $ in these markets when rental rates are on the decline since COVID.

I am new to this and I would like to benefit from your experience please.