You could setup something where the fees are deferred until you secure the construction loan and then pay them 1.5-2x their standard fee if they waited the 6-18 months to get paid.

This includes, water, hot water, heat, air conditioning, cable, security system, snow removal, lawn care.

Therefore, Val was totally right to ask about the security situation.

For your existing primary, you will need to have it leased with the security deposit and first month's rent collected.

What are the best practices for quickly securing reliable tenants and ensuring positive cash flow, especially for someone new to this?

There's also the possibility of becoming the squeaky wheel by calling the police (*not* security) to report the matter.

Keep in mind that most residential mortgages are conforming loans that are resold on the secondary market and bundled into mortgage backed securities.

For example, I purchase nearly everything on CC, for security reasons and convenience, and I pay it off in full every 2 weeks. 

We key each room separately, so the members have security.  

We always send a contractor through to test everything and if broken, give estimates to repair and we can determine then if it is tenant damage and what charges to the security deposit should be.