Update on the above, the vacant side was in great condition minus a hole in the ceiling from water damage from the bathroom above.

Its just a hole that gets deeper and deeper....one story or excuse after another.Serve notice of eviction and get the ball rolling NOW. 

:)The home will need some minor repairs (paint in some places, a hole in the wall that needs to be fixed, new blinds, etc).

In other words, I see the short term value in niche, but I would never want to become so niche that if I wanted to sell in 10 years I might be pigeon holing myself

No one factors in tenants completely trashing a house , after not paying rent for 6 months , and the rowhome 4 doors down is abandoned with a hole in the roof and when it rains it floods your basement . 

Their claiming the wooden toilet seat was worn and needs to be replaced and charging $100, the last is for 10 walls which they claim have holes, scuff marks, stains and charging $1400.

Certainly the hot potato is leaving a gaping hole in our evaluation!

@Patricia Smith - I spent numerous hours researching from multiple sources the whole LLC question and asset protection matter and all the rabbit holes it opens.

I dig the whole site out with a backhoe, (clay, water and all)  export all that out of there, bring the whole thing down another six inches, then have the foundation guy do his form work and then fill the whole foundation hole with six inches of self compacting 3/4 inch stone.  

They check the exterior each time and seal any new holes, make recommendations about anything I might need to do to help prevent pests, place bait boxes around the perimeter and will go inside if needed.