Write what you expect to happen and enforce it, both to your and the tenants benefit. 

Total real estate ROI should include 1) cash flow, 2) tax benefits realized each tax season in the form of real cash (non-operating items such as depreciation, mortgage interest, RE tax), 3) equity.

Can you find humor for a person to get out of responsibility by bullying, no respect to others or law by asking us give up our rights as landlord so he can benefit, no appreciation that we selected and trusted them with our house, no empathy or compassion when I called and pleaded with him yet the same person preaches responsibility, respect, appreciation, empathy, and compassion?

Few things that I have learned from experienced investors and partners is that you want to keep your active and passive income separate as well (in separate LLCs) so you can take full advantage of the tax benefits - that is in case you are also planing to do buy and sell or flips. 

Don't get discouraged if you have to make changes to your plan just adjust accordingly and look for the benefits.

I mostly want to know the benefits of pre-approval jointly or separately with my spouse. 

But if there is no benefit to me, I'll just advertise at rent minus x w/o the insurance rule.In case it matters, this is an owner-occupied building.

I understand that I am taxed on my cash flow as income and that I can use depreciation and certain expenses to my benefit but I am by no means a tax expert. 

Not great but enough for me to live off plus benefits and I would hope a lot of opportunity and advantages in my land flipping business. 

Then there are full time agents, who have salaries, benefits, and bonuses per transactions.If you're flipping, I think that the associate agent position is what you're looking for (can't take on the full-time expecations of deal-writing agent).