So I'm not sure how this is going to turn out but we have a property under contract to close at the end of the month that is a 10 unit and an 8 unit a block from each other in a small town (3,400) and the seller was so motivated he didn't charge us for a 1,000 sq ft. house that is on the 8 unit property.

Life was good.My youngest son became ill [not from his autism]  and suffered extreme neurological pain.

My background was primarily in rehab and flip along with some SFR"s.Right now I feel my major stumbling block is starting over from a different position than I did then.

Just keep in mind that you will probably still want to insulate whether they pay anything or not - so don't lose face asking and them saying no.I had a pipe burst last year - stunk to be me - paying a plumber is like paying a dentist - painful but has to be done.  

At first, we started with the paper statements, which was a pain to write and erase.

And everything in between.Indy within 465 is very neighborhood specific and even varied quite a bit within neighborhoods. 5 blocks could vary in value by hundreds of thousands.That said, there are some outlying zip codes on the border of Marion county that are much less varied and more homogenous.

I'd recommend selecting a company that is doing an okay job with a large building within a block or two of your property.  

@Jason Crain  Aside from the pain of having to crawl up into the attic how difficult is it to do? 

Check crime and boarded properties on that block and see how many are being advertised as vacant and monitor for few weeks if those vacancies fill up or not.

I realize these are some of the possible pains of a buy and hold investor, but I'm also thinking in terms of exit strategy.