I have a 1910 duplex that has been great; original water lines shared causing me a potential large expense; bought in 1991 and appreciation has been strong; younger folks love the architecture and hardwoods (1.5 inch wide planks are cool) with over a 100 Craigslist hits when using pics of hardwood and pillars. 

Hi Jen - I've used Matt Lottes with Pillar to Post - highly recommend!

No basement, no pillars/supports, anything--and, because of that, the whole extension is sagging. 

Generally though, I break it down into the "five pillars" of protecting your assets.

He says you should first become an earner and learn how to grow your earnings over time, then become a saver and learn how to save much more than you spend, then once you've mastered those two pillars of wealth you should move on to becoming an investor.Now his focus is stocks, not REI, but I think the logic is sound.

As you all know, networking is a key pillar of this business and we are always looking to meet new investors and expand our network.

I said ironic as the business where it occurred was in an LLC, but the lazy lawyer was the "main pillar" of protection.

I usually break things down into the "four pillars" of asset protection - there are more strategies than what I mention, but this is how you build a good foundation.

In stead they are pillars of the community who are active in the social organizations and do lunch with other local business people.

Generally though, I break it down into the "five pillars" of protecting your assets.The first pillar is avoiding unnecessary and risky activities (don't drink and drive, insurance generally won’t cover your poor decisions) and take good care of your investments(maintain your property, etc) - these simple steps will help you prevent lawsuits before they even occur.