I'm deathly afraid of getting some house under contract then buyers not finding it desirable for one reason or another and having to purchase it.

@James Hamling1,000 people die per year from a lawnmower, so should you hire someone to do it for you.If you own in a really bad area or are just a bad tenant yes your chances of getting injured go up significantly but just as many realtors are probably killed per year as landlords which I bet is less than lawnmower deathsOh and those deaths are typically at the property not the tenant stalking the homeowner.

do you have a death wish?

Sure, a 102-year-old is near death anyway, but why uproot her and have her die, tied to a move?

By the way, these deaths are over a period of a few months. 

Multiple women mauled to death by their own pits this year plus one accross the street from my rental house was killed while cleaning a cage at a boarding house a few days ago.

I respect some of these builders like Pulte, DeLuca, and toll brothers.

I might invest in a self-storage facility deal next, which should serve me well during the impending recession -- the four Ds (divorce, dislocation, death, disaster). 

You can cover death and incapacitation of the partner as well .......see an attorney if you find a partner.

Generally speaking all assets are valued as of the date of death (or alternate valuation date which is 6 months after death).