More importantly, she fully knows that I was out of the picture after she and Garrett sealed their agreement.

Most areas require some sort of building permit with an architect or engineer seal.

In those situations, how common (or uncommon) is it to do a sealed-bid auction for the tenants, assuming all of them fit my qualifications (high-income professionals with families)?

'MOST' windows are flashed and sealed incorrectly if at all. 

What sealed the deal for the one I picked is because how they addressed 1-star reviews.

so you have a sharp rancid stench piercing thru the house. you wrote "a skunk likely" meaning you aren't sure. still, someone has to check it out, either you(free of charge) or rodent control (not free of charge). afterwards you might want to find out how it got in and seal it somehow so you won't be going thru this a few weeks later. rodent control (if you go that route )will have advice on how to get rid of the odor. otherwise  I'm sure that there's at least few youtube videos on DIY for it. though it might take a few days to completely be gone, best of luck.kudos,Mary

But this property is in a nice HOA and sealed up tight and I can't just go breaking the windows to get in....even though I own it.

Hi everyone,I'm going to take you step by step through my finding and sealing my first Wholesale Lease Option deal.

That seals the decision for me.

That includes a fully handwritten envelope, 1 page printed and inserted, envelope sealed, stamp, and we send them out.