It ultimately cost us almost $100,000.

One way to look at owning a tax deed is as a long-term option on the property that never really expires.If you want to ultimately take over the property, you may elect to just wait out the year or, if you hope to speed things up, you might try to contact the owner and ask them to quit claim their interest to you.

Even though I told our long term tenant about what we were doing and she thought she'd be okay with it, ultimately she didn't like all the different people coming and going. 

Ultimately, the decision should align with your investment goals, risk tolerance, and the amount of time you can dedicate to managing your properties.

Ultimately, I want to quit my job (of course), move to a new area and focus on REI.

Hi Sara, Ultimately, the decision to keep the property as a rental or sell it within the 5-year window will depend on a combination of financial, market, tax, and personal factors.

This time we studied multiple exit strategies and ultimately we found a nice balance that seems to work. 

Ultimately investing is an entrepreneurial activity.

For tenant screening I suggest you start with Biggerpockets Ultimate Guide to Tenant Screening. 

Ultimately it depends on your market, but given Cleveland is a good area for rentals, it's probably a good idea to keep at least some of them.