It is not my nature to give up on something; I was not raised that way so even with all the stress and financial destruction I am having a hard time deciding to move forward with it.Thanks in advance for your input.

Dev spelled it out beautifully.

Real estate investors, like most people, have a natural tendency to want to use what has worked in the past and rely on proven experience.

Marvin,The beauty of the "I've got to fail to learn" philosophy is that you don't need any knowledge at all to start.

That's the beauty of business, it is extremely unforgiving.

Additionally, what does the landlord do when there is a sudden spike in energy costs (like the recent natural gas price spike)?

The bills ranged from 2k down to $700 bucks, he just had no way to predict what his bill was going to be every other month.He pleaded with the cashier/worker to help him find a way to save money; naturally, the water worker said that they were powerless to help him.

Its the main ingredient in '20 mule team borax',,,it is all natural and cuts their eco skin so they dry out.

Linoleum is quite different than vinyl:  first it is not a petroleum product, but is made from entirely renewable components (linseed oil, pine rosin, wood flour, cork, gypsum); it is naturally antimicrobial {one reason it is used extensively in places such as hospitals, day cares, nursing homes, etc.} and it is quite durable. 

There are some beautiful modern builders in the area.