I had  made an offer on an 8 unit  townhome-style building.

You are asking complete strangers to make a judgment call about someone you have known your whole life.

There is more to life than the 9-5. 

I guess I would self-manage and basically just not count any of my managing as an expense when reporting my business taxes (thus increasing my total taxable income but not having to pay SS/Med tax)But then what happens if I don't pay a med/ss tax for the next 40 years of my life?

I already do that in various aspects in life - helping others without expecting anything in return.

The dishonesty comes from the long trail of lies extending the life of a deal you never intended to complete in the first place. 

But I've cleared enough poison ivy to develop a very bad reaction to it, and I am occasionally exposed to it as part of this life of running rentals.

My purchase price was 260k for 1920’s style bungalo.

Hi everyone,I'm new to BP, lived in Houston all my life.

Sounds like a typical day in a landlords life .