Someone (probably ex tenant) kicked in 4 of the interior doors, two big holes in the walls, cherry kool aid stains on carpet, dead lawn, cut some wires in the walls, NEVER cleaned the kitchen and looks like used lard to cook everything, the cooktop looks like a couple of "smallish fires" may have happened and the (original, 1979) oven has NEVER BEEN CLEANED, oh and to top it off we have a family of THREE SKUNKS LIVING IN THE CRAWL SPACE.And of course I no longer live 6 miles from this place, I live 950 miles away.I just spent 1 1/2 weeks working on it, about 30 "contractor size" garbage bags, 5 gallons of paint, a million small things that you always run into.Anyway I found a "craigslist" cooktop and wall oven for pretty cheap, my wife helped a lot, even though she hates RE investing and my neighbor has been a godsend because the trash service only picks up the rolling dumpster, NOTHING ELSE, so he has hauled the other stuff to the dumpster at his work.I'm heading back to TX to hit the kitchen, exterior paint, front yard and finish the interior paint (oil base on the trim).

You know realtors wouldn't want a drop dead date that no one could change or extend under certain circumstances.Sold a lot and the buyer failed to close (forgot?)

And A darn good Taxidermist , so I have been Known to Raise the dead!

First, I will say that the market is definitely saturated, and you need to be very savvy with your investment, but in my experience the area is not as dead as some may claim. 

Hope this helps you flesh it out a little

By the time a curriculum is fleshed out and approved, the market has changed.

Older houses check the electric outlets - is polarity correct and take out dead phone connections.

Comparing ourselves to others is a dead end street.

Seems like a dead end.

I would offer her a peep hole in the doors, and make sure she has a dead bolt lock front and back.