Think about capex and repairs. 

On paper we were slightly in the red but much of that is due to one-year expenses/repairs & allowable transportation costs to get up to the property for work days ourselves. 

Whereas for me (at this stage of my investing career and my personal life) if a project is profitable and supports my ability to live somewhere with better cost of living and quality of life, the balance between the two can be just as valuable. 

After a few too many midnight leak repairs, she wanted to offload it but didn’t want a big tax hit.

. :)Anyway, I like your strategy of driving and looking for houses in need of repair and sending handwritten letters and contacting rentals for the reasons you gave.

I think behind tenant screenings and leases there is a quality of a landlord that's also as a person that is the respect for a good person and the intelligence of making fair affairs.For me for ten years in the past I had a house of 650sqft (two rooms and cozy kitchen) where I always have been giving away one of the room for others who were asking for help for themselves and I didn't had any earnings for me by that, and that has been during for many and many years, meanwhile I was surely needing more space for me, for my business in a studio and for my own personal life I eventually could have been having.Nonetheless this, on last years I had no more an house and I needed a room for rent, but even before any screening the landlords were being unrespectful and very unreasonably severe to me, they often had making me lose so much time by no taking or going away to the point I had no other choices in the end, and they set me in the wrong places for me, dangerous ones, too small, too big and very expensive, unhealthy ones or not providing anything at all when it was obvious they needed to.To me this kind of behaviour is very wrong, mostly because usually they are the same people who pretend respects and acts as they are very careful and attentive to housing situations in general, but with me, they have been lying above anything and just disrespected the person at a human level. 

Who gets to decide if a repair that appears to be needed is real or fictious, created to reduce the net available to the lender? 

Easier to predict expenses - typically no major repairs unless from association3.

@Gash Nookala,Renting can indeed be slower in winter, but here are some tips to boost interest:Enhance Listing: Ensure your listing has detailed descriptions and high-quality photos—consider professional photography if needed.Competitive Pricing: Double-check local comps; even a slight price adjustment or incentives (like a reduced deposit) could attract more interest.Broaden Marketing: Beyond Zillow, Hemlane, and MLS, use social media, community boards, and local business connections to reach a wider audience.Flexible Lease Terms: Offering shorter or month-to-month leases might appeal to tenants during this slower season.Local Property Manager: A local pro can tap into their network and help fill the vacancy faster.These steps should help you find a tenant despite the seasonal slowdown.

This list isn’t exhaustive but includes most of the best ways to find quality firms to partner with.Conferences.