I suggested they drop the listing price from $189k to $149k to hopefully make their home the most attractive in the area. $50k profit in this scenerio changes their dynamic but....did they listen ?

It's just not a very attractive looking neighborhood because it's never been taken care of and the houses are all exactly the same and on a steep hill. 

High crime areas will only attract bad quality tenants.

Here is a thought for you: consider looking at properties -- maybe just off campus, perhaps more upscale than student housing -- that might be attractive to faculty and grad students.

The higher the perceived risk the higher the yield needs to be to attract an investor.

For me, it looks more attractive then much of PS/PD, I made an offer on a La Quinta property earlier today.

Basically a really cheap, potentially icky, property is going to usually attract very high-risk tenants...and ultimately tenants are what will make or break your entire investment.What's your budget?

We attract mostly guys and though we are not in the party zone, they tend to be more dirty and lots of alcohol.   

A first position loan earning double digit returns and a low LTV is a lot more attractive to me than investing in the stock market.

The real world is attractive.