If the tenant doesn't pay the bill by the time they send me their rent, I will deduct the repair from the rent, when they do send it to me, as I have stated in my Lease Agreement that any money received in my office will be applied to any outstanding bills first.  

In those cases, I make a tenant pay those outstanding collections and bring me proof of payment.  

Also, it does not sound like it, but you may run into some problems if their are any outstanding lawsuits.4) The Bay Area market has done very well these past couple of years.

Have you checked to see if there is any outstanding mortgage or other liens, taxes owed on the property that might make it unfeasible to get a good deal to buy it now?

Increase in Family Size - A borrower may be eligible for another house with an FHA-insured mortgage if the borrower provides satisfactory evidence thatThe has had in increase in legal dependents and the property now fails to meet the family’s needs; andThe loan-to-value (LTV) ratio on the current principal residence is equal to or less than 75% or is paid down to that amount, determined by comparing the outstanding mortgage balance to a current residential appraisal.Vacating a jointly-owned Property - A borrower may be eligible for another FHA-insured mortgage if the borrower is vacating (with no intent to return such as divorce, legal separation, etc...) the principal residence which will remain occupied by the existing co-borrower.

They expected me to cut them a check for their security deposit when I came to pick up keys, NO WAY, I kept it ALL, I even waited till the last day to send them their notice/statement regarding their outstanding balance for damages, lol!

Lots of moving parts in your prospective opportunity.Obviously, you'll need to know the numbers and determine whether pursuing an Ohio property from A-Town makes any practical sense.Here's the rough format I use: PETIOProperty - need to know after repaired value and rough costs to repairEquity - need to determine all outstanding mortgages and liens of recordTitle - research record owner(s)Interest(s) - need to research, identify and contact all persons who have beneficial interest in Decedent's estate as heirsOpportunities - Determine best way to acquire or profit from the situation.

My understanding is that the noteholder agrees to a settlement amount and the deed is hers free and clear.Back in 2007 an individual transferred a deed on a property with an outstanding mortgage of $535k in Brooklyn NY.in 2008 The seller passed away. since 2007 not a single payment has been made to the mortgage.

Make sure the title company understands what your intentions are and how you are being paid your assignment fee.This is a great business, but be careful, you are dealing with sellers who usually have problems and outstanding liens not disclosed to you.As a Baltimore auctioneer, you may want to research public auctions, call on expired listings and run ads to find that great equity based property that will put lots of cash in your pockets, so have some BIGGER POCKETS.

I have recently paid off all my loans and cards and have an outstanding credit score.