Again, I inherited this tenant from the sale, but they have always paid a day early, seem to keep the unit and area tidy, and don't really complain much.

Based on my experience with hoarders - Leave it alone.Unless they are causing damage you really don't want to spend your energy chasing that.

Thanks for the mention, @Kelly O'Keefe @Jun Lopez I provide specialty tax services such as cost segregation studies, 1031 exchanges, historic tax credits, section 179D, energy tax credits, etc. rather than tax preparation services, but I'd be more than happy to connect you a CPA (or there are great ones here on BP as well).

I chuckle these days when I have friends mention a Canadian "ghetto".The barrier to entry (housing prices) would be the biggest factor in my opinion and therefore you'd need significantly greater capital to get started compared to the US.I had done some personal research in the past regarding investing in the US as a Canadian and you could do it from both ends:Canadian using a Canadian bank to finance a US property (think retirees buying places in FL or AZCanadian using a Canadian based bank that now has a foothold in the US (ie, TD, RBC, even Scotia)Canadian using a US bank to qualify for a property - clearly more work and have to talk to the right places.I won't get into my opinions of the housing market back in Canada in general, but opportunities will present themselves at all times...I just think you'll spend a lot more time and energy having to pursue it and garner a significant amount of capital to get started.

.** New construction homes are built to the latest building codes, which means they are more energy-efficient and require less maintenance than older homes.

., there is still the possibility that the land may not sell for a substantial profit.Additionally, the investment required in improving the land also involves time and energy.

.- i'd encourage you to consider doing as big a deal you comfortably can with the amount of capital you have, vs trying to start off unnecessarily small. make sure you account for a personal reserve, a reserve for the future property, and closing costs, THEN see what's left over for a down payment. also note that while there are creative ways to buy tons of RE with little $, they demand A LOT of time and energy, which it sounds like you guys may not be looking to invest right now. - driving distance vs long distance: try to map out exactly what situations this would benefit you in. could either of you guys logistically drop everything to drive multiple hours away?

Higher cost of funds + higher operational costs = larger focus on operational efficiencyA positive that is sure to come from the rise in virtually all expenses associated with running a business is that owner/operators will be forced to tidy up their operations. 

I’m sure that turning this into a legal matter would take so much more time and energy than to just fix the issue myself but definitely good information to know for future reference.

For example, in Kissimmee, a property that added energy-efficient landscape lighting and updated its garden areas to include more communal seating saw an improvement in its curb appeal, attracting a higher caliber of inquiries and reducing vacancy rates significantly.