Which makes him odds on bet to be a “bad” (no pay - late pay) tenant2.

With the wealth of information available on BiggerPockets and numerous other sites and books, I'm not sure where to start.

They are your best bet at breakeven or even small cashflow but they will not appreciate near as well as a newer townhome.

The tenants know the mini split is their best bet for controlling temp on their side, but they do not want to not pay for the energy to run it and would prefer the gas gets used (gas is included in their lease.) 

You will be too detached.5 is required in some states and not in others so a lot if left to your viewing on-site so if you are not seeing it in person, you need full photos and videos of every part of the basement and attic so you have an idea of where the trouble lies before making an offer.

I would say, your best bet is to reach out to property management groups in your investment area that specializes in section 8.

I'll try to post it separately because I can't remember if specific company names are prohibited on this site.

I'm trying to sell some prime building lots right now and all of the builders I've talked to don't want them mostly due to being backlogged on work thanks to labor shortages and not wanting to deal with the huge hassle and time commitment/expense to get a building permit.Ironically, politicians in the past have contributed to the problem by actually going to job sites to round up and deport workers because many are undocumented.

You best bet is to contact a realtor, and have them run comps (most will do it for free).

Go to Etsy and search for "rental property tracker," and you will find hundreds of nice spreadsheets to track 10-20 rentals, usually for under $10.Software has extremely helpful features like online payments, marketing syndication (click a button, and your property is advertised on multiple sites), electronic document review/signing, maintenance tracking, and owner reports.