Some of our initial baseline, no-go, criteria when we first listed were: 600+ credit score, no evictions, no bankruptcy, and income 3x rent... however, after finding that very few interested parties were eligible to even "enter a review phase" of landlord verifications etc, we loosened up a bit and went to an objective scoring model that I tweaked from a few ideas obtained after speaking to both rental professionals in my local area and some on this forum. 

When you transfer money between two parties such as between a merchant like Walmart and a customer like yourself,  there are about 8-12 private ledgers that must be credited and debited as the funds move through the current financial system which was developed decades ago.  

2024 will be my third year!

I still consider myself fairly new to this world, and I can say with 100% certainly the biggest battles are the internal ones, and this industry has given the pleasure of being forced to address several of my short comings, and continue to address them all the time.I find I get the most emotional when I get reactionary, so my constant focus is around honing and suppressing reaction as a whole both internal and external.Thanks for taking the time to write this up.This part is right on the nails - "I find I get the most emotional when I get reactionary."

Find a centralized place to keep track of information you know about interested parties and can make sure you are moving them forward through the process.Good luck!

They brought in awful tenants that turned our property into a party house and caused thousands in damages.

Mistake #2, assuming the security was installed.)The house was broken into and a fire was started on the third floor, assuming by a homeless person, a can of soup and a camping burner was left behind.  

This allows both parties to discuss expectations and ensure alignment.

Here in illinois when the lease expires, the tenant is considered month to month which means either party can give 30 day notice to leave or to be told to leave. 

Yep - this should be everyones "bread and butter" find a true partnership and keep it running and make it a win win for both parties.