No need to spend an extra $1000 for something a tenant won't notice. 

Well-maintained homes: Homeowners tend to spend more time and money maintaining their homes, which contributes to the overall quality of the neighborhood.

They'll spend a lot of time warning up and getting back into the groove.

Maybe they've been burned by landlords in the past and are being very careful.You can legally reject them based on personality, facial tattoos, body odor, or other factors, but you better make sure you can prove that it wasn't based on any protected class like race, religion, familial status, etc.

This could help protect against any future lawsuits. 

After spending 25 years as a Software Engineering and Product leader, I’m now exploring the world of real estate investing (REI) and looking forward to learning from all of you.My goal is to leverage my current investments and savings to build a real estate portfolio that will eventually allow me to transition away from my current career.

I understand there are some protections that go along with it with all the law suits going around but hardly doubt they would go after an office with two agents in it.

A FHA 203k Loan is where the purchase price and rehab costs are rolled into a single loan.Assuming you have a respectable FICO you can buy, with a FHA Loan (3-5% down, a 30 year amortization schedule, and a residential loan rate) AND because you closed personally, you will not have Asset Protection, in the form of closing in the name of a LLC/ LLC taxed as an S Corp, or an S Corp.

Was last year abnormal or you think the normMy guess is you will spend a lot more than $200k on an attorney with benefits etc. but if it cuts down in expenses it definitely is something I would consider and even if it costs a little more, having control with having someone in house does reduce unknown costs and risks. 

If possible, you may want to learn in a place where you don't need to spend $750k on a fixer.