If you are looking for retirement income simply invest your savings monthly into a income fund and within 10 years you will be much farther ahead without the headaches and considerably less risk than real estate. 

Je could cut the limbs up until the property line.

Sometimes I know we can hold ourselves back by simply not making decisions and moving forward.

The easy, but unfair, commentary would be to say that the barrier to entry is simply much higher with syndications, and you simply get better people.

I understand that I cannot simply straight borrow from it, even if the terms are on par with the market.

Also, I'd make sure to cut the yard down before closing just to make sure the overgrowth is not covering up something.

Regrettably tenants never pay attention to their lease language but when they ask about doing work you can then simply remind them.

They are simply free lancers, driving for car shared companies, or becoming Task Rabbiters and Thumbtack professionals.  

If the bills are only slightly higher than the previous tenant it could simply be this tenant uses more water.

By the time you buy something inexpensive and then rehab it and then put Section 8 tenants in it, you will have probably spent the same,....if not more money than if you would have simply did what i did, which is............Find a property that is listed for sale that already has Section 8 tenants in it and then buy it.