Would like to be able to tweak appreciation, interest/debt service, operating costs.

Or are you speculating that there are many billionaires that have created their wealth by public stock purchases? 

Profit has to be made in order for those products and services to continually be offered, improved and consumed. 

Those old homes had knob and tube wiring and smaller service panels that will not stand up to today's electronics usage.

I also want to thank you for your service to this great country. 

You're paying for service and you're not getting it.

An empty retail box may be unoccupied for a long period of time, and to the general public it may look as if it's abandoned, but often the deals to fill these spaces can take a long time to complete.

Suggest you go to a landlord bootcamp the local landlord groups put on (i learned so much , very much worth the $100 ) and read this. https://www.osbar.org/public/legalinfo/tenant.html  Also fwiw I have been called several times by, I assume,  HUD or folks fishing for landlords to file complaints against , so highly suggest becoming very familiar with tenant/land laws

Lima One Capital has advertised a no seasoning product in the past, as has Visio Financial Services. 

For land/lot properties listed in the MLS by an agent but not listed in the public records who owns the land?