Unilaterally enforcing lease terms should be a last resort not a first choice in many situations.

I wasn't able to make the last meetup but how did it turn out?  

Chicago rents have been on fire the last few years, which has helped compensate for rising expenses.

You do not want to keep having to pay attorney fees, tenant improvements costs, and leasing fees every time a tenant last a few years and goes dark.

And I'm not entirely sure why - I still invest in real estate and my other properties are performing quite well, and REITs have been outperforming the stock market over the last few years.

The expectations are wrong and the work that goes into the portfolio is wrong.Just like working out, it may take months or years of steady and consistent work to see lasting results. 

He's financed my last 12 projects, including 5 construction-to-perm loans.

Initial Jobless Claims fell another 9K last week and came in at 323K which was better than the consensus estimates of 330K.

We ran into some unexpected costs last year, so aren't able to contribute much to the down payment on the next property right now as we build up our savings again (DP will be her contribution).

I'm also interested in connecting with other investors/people active in the industry, bought my first property last year, working to fix it up and rent it out.