If you plan to scale, I would get one right away on your first property.

We have reported him to several places and plan on continuing to report him to other places. 

If you're planning to rehab properties for rental or flipping, a hard money lender might be the right fit.

My father-in-law told me he plans to sell his 6 unit condo building ASAP so he can "retire" from being a landlord.

I have employer sponsored plans that match contributions as well as a solo 401k and I do a backdoor Roth. 

The cash on cash return is only meaningful when you evaluate it based on your long term plans.

It depends how long you plan on living.

I'm more concerned about appreciation and equity so I'm willing to trade the cash flow for it, but I don't want to be in a situation where I'm barely breaking even and the stress that comes with it.Looking for ideas how I can tap into that equity to grow my portfolio but still getting some kind of cash flow to be able to make the monthly payments1.

It might be worth a follow-up closer to the move-out date to confirm their plans, but avoid excessive contact to prevent escalation.

@Marcos Carbi  If you want to allow a payment plan, Tell them this is the best I can do:Pay $xxx cash by tonight at 8pm for November's rent. and then beginning Monday Jan 20, pay $450 each Monday (in cash?