Should Landlords meet their renters? / Good vs. Bad Tenant

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Hi everyone,

I'm getting ready to rent my first investment property here in Newport Beach, CA. I'm the landlord and am using a property manager while I learn the ropes and finish school. We've gotten a ton of interest in the place and it looks like we'll be ready to go here shortly. The home is in a highly sought after neighborhood with a fairly high asking price for rent.

I had a couple of questions and hoped someone on here would have an answer or give some insight.

First, do you believe the landlord (me) should interview or meet tenants prior to everything being signed? What are the pros/cons to this? What are some things to ask or look out for?

Second, besides conducting background/credit checks and checking references, are there any other things you'd do to ensure you get a good tenant? Anything special that you ask your prospective tenants? 

Lastly, I have a pretty extensive 'rules' list - not only to make it easy to terminate a lease with a pesky tenant but to preserve the property. Is this a good thing or can this bite me in the *** in the long run?

I appreciate any advice or insight!

CE