Highly recommend (I require) collecting first month's rent prior to handing over keys.

Send a Lease Violation Notice immediately - by mail with proof of delivery required (cheap date through post office) and or affix the notice in a envelope with his name on it on the door of the unit. 

Again I cannot collect rent to justify this cost/effort.  

We are considering taking a 2-5 year risk of owning the home to collect on appreciation since prices are stagnant right now, and pray fire doesn’t take it.

I hire local professionals for inspections and cleaning, but even then, I’ve run into issues where things were missed because I wasn’t physically there.3.Tools: I use software like Tenant Cloud for rent collection and maintenance tracking, but no tool can replace having someone who can physically check on properties.

The tenants enjoy using the interface, it is simple to communicate with them as a whole or individually, collect rent payments and see when they are in transit, offer CC payment options at tenants expense, track maintenance request, share documents, and lease the property.Short comings are their financial portion.

Sit back and collect checks *(or no checks).

Attorney’s Fees; Collection Related Costs; Jury Waiver.

Just make sure to vet them carefully and ask for references from past deals and proof of their track record.

You should get more nights in the smaller property that can still easily accommodate a family traveling, but is still inexpensive enough to make sense to solo travelers.Cleaning fee impact: Don't you collect this back from your guests?