I have had many props that required minimal. 1500 - 2k rent on all in purchase of 65-80k I will take all day.

In the end you just want to ensure you are taking the proper steps to minimize your exposure and keep your assets protected.

How do you minimize future problems?

Also, the tenants will be more comfortable while minimizing their electric bills.

I think the first question is do you want to be a rental property investor or are you just figuring how to minimize your loss?

Begin with smaller flips, using other investors as your bank, which will minimize your risk.

Maybe my "spidey sense" was tingling, but I felt like he was trying to get me over there alone because earlier in that conversation when I said I'd quickly come by to drop off the filters, but be of no interruption because I was accessing the basement only, he replied, "I don't mind.

Depending on the situation of the seller, you may have to come up with a down payment to cover the sellers earned equity, but many homes have dropped in value since mid 2022 and sellers are being left with very minimal equity depending on how much they put down when they purchased. 

Fresh out of college, we moved to Dallas, TX to take on entry level jobs making very minimal amounts of money.

To sum it all up: your top priority is to serve your interests and earn profit, therefore you should do everything you can to minimize risks and maximize profits.