We are still waiting for them to forward a check settling our accounts, months after cutting off business relationships.

Admittedly, pricing will often account for any major items, and I don't believe this is true in Sandy Springs, but there are some areas that an interstate cuts off a small part of the neighborhood, and so labeling the neighborhood as "good" may be true for 90% of that neighborhood, but if you are in the 10% that is on the "wrong side" of the interstate, it can be a totally different market.

Based on what you've said, you should be able to make 2x rental income and account for 20% vacancy to be conservative. 

We have a couple ground up projects in the early stages and will be taking that into account when planning.

You could ask that they put a year or so of savings into a separate account on which you have view access or receive a monthly statement so you can see they have the ability to pay future rent.They aren't going to last without other income or savings with income at 1.25x rent.

We want to avoid letting money just sit in the bank account when we know we could be making it work for us.

I have attended plenty Padsplit events and talked to my Account Executive (AE) and some veterans from Padsplit (the real expert, not newer sales person), and some Padsplit investors who own them and love them. 

If you want to make the opposite case, look at engineering degrees or point to the wage studies that show on average people with 4 year degrees make a lot more than those who have zero college.  

@Rick ImI have an expense account called "Failed Real Estate Escrow Expenses " (in QuickBooks) for my flipping business and bookkeeping clients.

They have degrees and interests in different segments of what I think are important facets of the real estate game, one will be graduating with a degree in construction management and the other in accounting.