Cleveland has the 5th fastest shrinking population in the nation and has been shrinking since 1950.

That $500/month can shrink pretty quickly. 

The good is that you don't have issues with heavy items, floors don't shrink and contract like wood, won't have settlement issues of sloping floors and the don't burn.If it's common for the area I see no reason to avoid them.

I would recommend not using backer rod and instead filling solid with a high strength non-shrink grout.

Is the city growing or shrinking? 

Most of these smaller contractors will have their backlogs shrinking. 

These shrink over many decades, causing floors above to sag. 

On the downside, am I shrinking my renter pool by renting it furnished for the renters who have their own furniture?

When I add a picture to my reply, the picture shrinks to a small size.

Owner occupants can have all the lead and leaky toilets they want.While I certainly care about providing safe housing; I wonder who is going to be on hand to buy all of these unsafe houses as landlords begin to exit the market, and try to sell to  a shrinking base of qualified owner occupants?