The tenant is mentally unstable, didn't pay rent over a year, got evicted, forced out by the Sheriff and kept coming back to the property by breaking locks and lock picking.

Hey Max, I have a few S8 tenants in Detroit, but most of my tenants are "cash paying".I'd start by searching the forums here for "section 8" related threads.

Paying a bit more for a property manager isn't so bad when you consider something as priceless as peace of mind.

Persistence, and a sense of humor, pays off.

One of the realtors was skeptical that I can get into this market for $200k, and, I agree, it's a bit of a stretch, but with the pay cut I'll be taking going down to Texas, that's about as much of a mortgage as we can afford on one income.

The yields of the past aren't happening today especially paired with Cleveland increasing taxes on average 50% during this latest cycle. 

For the past 13 years I've been investing in and acquiring single family properties through Tax Liens and Tax Deeds.

There are some key limitations that are important:Passive losses can only offset passive income.Up to $25,000 in passive rental losses may be deducted against non-passive income if the investor actively participates and their modified adjusted gross income is below $100,000.Unused passive losses are carried forward to future tax years.Here’s an IRS article that further discusses the rules: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p9251031 ExchangesThis strategy allows investors to defer capital gains tax when they sell a property if they invest the sale proceeds into a “like-kind” property.

Expect to spend $10-$20k in FC and of course all the taxes and insurance on the home during this time.

If both tenants changed their phone number it is likely that bill paying could have been an issue for them and you may find no the utilities weren't on.