too many good tenants?? How do I deny them

[Ray Thorsen]

I am in a unique position I think compared to some. I have a few potentially "good" tenants. I am trying to pick tenants that will be there for more than a year while being a good tenant.  I eliminated one because he wants to buy a house in a year once his divorce is final. He makes plenty of money and still has the credit to do it. The other 3 all make my 3.5x gross no criminal no evictions decent credit (620-650 for tenants). After doing my screening they all qualify. My gut says go with a particular tenant but I do not have any screening criteria to definitively deny the other 2. What do I tell them? The first come first serve is out the window because one of them knows they were first to see it. Any advise would be great.