He may lie to you and that gives you a tell about other information he may provide.

Today, due to technology, I can share my passion for teaching, technology, and real estate.

Though they say the the current owner is a great source for the actual market, I have found the owners I bought from either couldn't leverage, or didn't know how to leverage technology to increase their rental price, and renter pool.

Highest bill before was $800.12% rate increase would make that previous highest rate now $900$900 to $1100 is only about an 18% increase.18% could easily be attributed to the fact that (1) tenants do stupid things, (2) tenants have selective memory when it comes to remember stupid things they do, and (3) tenants out right lie. 

As an improvement on this technology, we have a test installation using electric resistance thermal storage units ... essentially larger baseboards filled with bricks as a thermal mass.  

Figure out a solid business plan and write it down since I'm sure a person like your well educated wife would enjoy seeing the awesomeness of a well thought out plan for real estate investing.The numbers don't lie, just make sure you understand them all when you present her with your plan so she has less doubt.

I'm sure the empty apartment and turnover cost her more than the extra $ 25 would brought in for her.When you bought the building, if you had done your due diligence, you knew that you were taking over tenants without deposits (unless the seller lied about that), so, that should have been part of your consideration and you should have weighted the pros and cons and worked it into your purchase price. 

Also, getting with technology has been the next step for me to grow as most of the deals I have actually gotten under contract came from the internet.

"See tenant's lips moving, see tenant lying ."

I have an owner occupied home in Carrollton, Texas (near Dallas) we paid 160,000 for it and its current value lies somwhere between 210,000 - 230,000 now.