Wow. 20x cheaper than I feared.

I try to remove fear from my mind and give everyone the benefit of the doubt, while still remaining a law abiding citizen.

I still want to sell as I am fearful of having to constantly visit the area.

If it does look like a killer deal, then get it under a well structured purchase contract with a price that takes into account everyone else's fear about getting into this kind of deal.You see, there's leverage in other people's fear and you don't have to be afraid.

(There are, of course, rougher areas of town but everything seems to be selling like mad lately.)I'm in sales, so I have no fear about taking calls and closing deals.

You might get delayed but nothing to fear here.You could also market the house with owner financing.  

I recently married the most beautiful woman ever and now my 'why' for wanting to do real estate is stronger than my fear.

I'm trying to find a good way to research how prevalent renting is in certain areas in which I'm considering investing.

I made the mistake of renting my first place to a friend because of that fear & thinking she would be safe.  

You have raised some issues that I had not thought of, such as the legal aspect of being found negligent and the simple matter of the law prohibiting breaking and entering.The block is on a busy street that is generally incident-free but our city has a reputation for a high crime rate and many people live in fear of break-ins or attack.