Tenant has become ill with a chest infection as a direct result.

Many folks are ill-prepared for those expenses.

I guess Ill throw in my two cents as well!!

And I only read the first page of this thread before getting frustrated at so many ill-informed answers that I decided to chime in.  

There lots of vacant houses with high mortgages that could be rented on a option or lease option or a delayed settlement situation.You can also find these deals, control the property and sell your interest to a user (this user you are looking for can't get a mortgage due to job loss, illness or whatever, but they have money to pay you a fee).

Plug away, pay loans down faster, may not get rich quick, but when I'm 50 Ill be well off and pretty secure the rest of my life. 

I also have a hard time sympathizing with a tenant who drives a vehicle completely ill-equipped to deal with the climate in which they have chosen to live.

Next time you come to town let me know and we can link up and Ill give you tour!

Is it a low voltage wire when it's also transmitting 8 channels of high def video?

This includes mold, asbestos, termites, sewers, foundation issues, jacked wiring, etc.Things like furnaces and roofs are discrete problems that anyone get get a pretty tight bid on and are usually straightforward.For me, the single biggest deal killer is functional obsolescence or ill-conceived DIY additions done decades ago.