it's explained upfront 'non-refundable'All qualification criteria needs to be explained (somewhat scripted)Your traffic needs to be documentedCare should be taken on a tenant who qualifies.Fair Housing is a big issue.Always conduct your business professionallyIt's no guarantee the tenant will do the same, and don't think you can always make everyone happy.Run all your aps, and let them know they along with others are qualified.

I've been getting pretty good traffic on #6 and #7 and expect to have them leased soon - but not yet.Cliff

So I'll be studying for that, driving for dollars with my husband (looking around when stuck at traffic lights every 10 yards) and (in addition to the podcasts) reading what every real estate investor needs to know about cash flow).

Could the tunnel maintenance change traffic patterns that would make local train stations more desirable?  

They are in a beautiful old west side neighborhood with gorgeous homes and tree-lined streets, but two blocks from the stadium, so people can walk to the game and not have to mess with the traffic.

Just because during off hours I can go from my office on Mill Plain to my house in SE Portland in only 20min, the majority of the time, the traffic is really bad and I have heard horror stories of it taking 3 hours to go 15 miles....

Here in southern California subs can be miles away and hours in traffic.

Traffic is a nightmare.

I'm gathering from Rob's question on location that the quality of tenant, renter traffic, etc. have been part of your consideration.

A few ideas:1)You could freelance to help REI companies or individuals stand up their company websites in exchange for money and/or REI mentoring.2)You could stand up a "We buy houses for cash" type website, use some SEO and other developer tricks to drive traffic there, and use it as your primary marketing channel for lead generation.