I do not have a specific credit score requirement.

All things being equal, I would accept these applicants, but I would require them to pay a deposit equal to two months of rent.

This would be my first property that requires renovation.

We lend up to 85% of the build costs but, generally, require that our borrowers have some experience with ground-up construction. 

@Kyle Cross you claim to know a lot about the industry, but your questions are vague and so is the info you've provided.Not sure how managing 8 units doesn't, "require much management"?

I remember with my SFRs in the beginning, it seemed liked anytime I spoke to my PM there was an issue that required more money out of pocket.

You should require the tenant to carry $100,000 liability.

We also had the option of another type of policy that was even less expensive that would have required us to spend at least 1 night in the house and rent it at least 30 nights each year.

The problem many of us run into is being in New England, many of the markets are high cost, high appreciation markets that we either can't get pre qualified for, or even after moving out will struggle to cash flow.Another big constraint is that many of us have W-2 jobs in engineering that require some days in the office, and these types of higher paying jobs are primarily in major cities (most of us are in the Boston area).Lastly, a lot of us have significant others that may be less interested in living somewhere "random" because it makes sense as an investment.

. - Who ever told you that only 30 days notice is required does not know CA law.