.  :-)  Just went through another Chicago winter of 70 degrees, sun, palm trees and saving 10% on income taxes...

However, we can see the forest through the trees.  

Not to mention there is risk associated with some (e.g. water entry / mold in crawlspace, tree adjacent to the house which could affect foundation despite no visible signs, etc.).

Not my cup of tea, at least at the moment.  

If you like tea or wine, you will like my tenants. 😉

I would like to protect myself in case the prior owner is not maintaining insurance (they are BK after all) between now and when I get the deed, in the event lighting strikes, there's a fire, a tree falls on the house etc.

The house is uninhabitable, and was completely overgrown and 90% hidden with small trees and brush. 

Lots of trees and mulch beds or very wide open?

(freedomsoft)  What I needed to get started:  was printer, Stamps $9.80 a book= 20 stamps, you can get yellow paper and envolopes to start out from dollar tree or a place where stuff isnt too expensive.  

a couple times i've seen people handing out legal biz cards to them. this one time i saw a laborer selling oranges car-to-car in the HD parking lot, so when i had to come back for something half hour later, i brought a big bag of oranges i just picked from my trees and gave it to him. we started talking and the guy handing out cards was there again so i asked him and he showed me the card and said it was PRO BONO and contingency lawyers reps trying to find people who ever been injured while working and that they sue owners for big $$$ whenever they find a client who got hurt and willing to sue  that scared me even more!