With RE, whether your primary residence or rental property, there are three main factors: location, location and location.
It sounds like you are doing it in the wrong location, from the stories you post here. There are people all over the country who have gotten filthy rich owning slum properties, (at least in years past), it sounds like you can't even make it work w section 8, which used to be a guaranteed cash flow for landlords.
It sound awful. Maybe sell the properties and put the $$ in the stock market?
