Like Landon said, good on him for admitting hit; honesty in a tenant is a very good thing.The only issue, and I don't know enough to speak to it, is if you accept him as a tenant knowing that he has a misdemeanor, is there a way to get into a discriminatory housing situation because you selectively enforced your own rental criteria.  

And of course, I want to make commissions finance flipping SFH and house hack a MFH.Advice on selecting brokers and questions to interview is appreciated! 

The most important factors are tenant selection and keeping the good tenants so that you have little turnover (major expense). 

When it comes to the selection of subcontractors and suppliers, you will have the peace of mind knowing that they are hiring the trades, vendors and suppliers who have the right experience and can deliver what they promise.General Contractors Are Focused on the CustomerWhen it comes to having a successful project, there is nothing more important than communication.

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Lowest cost, small selection. 

If I understand your question correctly, you are worried about receiving all the applications and running all of them first and then selecting the one that best suits you.

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Does the long term refinance you've selected require a minimum seasoning period?

I hope to have a drastically better situation after screening/selecting my own tenant next time