Tim hit the nail on the head with what he wrote.All I can tell you is that in my neck of the woods is that finding a Section 8 tenant with a credit score at or above 600 would be like finding one with all their natural teeth. 

We have been in the Smokies a long time, and many guest accidents, some of them life threatening over the years, could have been avoided with an annual risk management walk-thru:- Loose or rotting steps- Nails poking up through deck boards- Stinging insect hives or infestations- Ceiling fans that are barely hanging on- Loose deck, stair, and landing railings- And oh, about a hundred other things!

Others use more traditional approaches.When a JV Agreement gets under strain by partners disagreeing on an issue, someone needs to be able to break the stalemate to preserve the investment.

IN texas its like 3 bucks a foot in charleston we pay 15 to 20  in Oregon I paid 5.75 last year but that will go up to 7. and this includes window install and nails LOL..

Your first step is to really nail down why your portfolio homes are performing poorly.

I just know that if you have to fight the Historic Preservation Commission you have to be very careful.  

Also when purchasing properties try to stay from the Historic district, each city here in Hampton Roads does have them, and the Historic Preservation Commission can be a pain to work with.  

Wealth preservation versus generation.  

The 'cash-flow' requirement can be missing when you're in the capital preservation phase, but you still need to buy below market value and reasonably expect good appreciation.  

I would unravel the gift to preserve the step-up in basis, but help grandma out with bills.