Great success story man but, be careful, we are always a few dead beat tenants away from Bankruptcy.  

It is not like looking at a stock chart, which is essentially today's price minus fees.

I am curious how big an issue this is because I know dealing with the city to try and buy properties can be a dead end.

Over the years it seems that one type of property is hot and another is dead cold.

The more liquidity (cash, stocks, bonds), not 401K as that is discounted, you have the better as that mitigates risk, and since you'll almost certainly be obtaining a recourse loan your guarantee needs to mean something and that is based on the amount of liquid funds you bring to the table.Find a property that is "safe".

If a tenant is not paying rent, they can drop dead

@Russell Brazil Thanks - I will see if it's worth it right now - I think you're right, it may be a dead-end.  

   - I have about $100,000 in a etf fund in the stock market that yields about 9% and I get a dividend every month which I then use for our property tax payment every year.  

From what I gather, if is not negligence, (rotten dead tree ready to fall) then homeowners will pay for some or maybe all of removal.

We already have our entire retirement riding on the stock market.