Tell all US citizens they gotta suck things up, austerity measures, slash social programs 50%.....

I give you analogies, and explanations, I even give you statistically measurable numbers and data to back it up.

I want to buy a house-hacking property or duplex around the SoFlo area, but I'm wondering it it could be a better idea to invest OOS in Huntsville Alabama where I could afford a quadplex or something of that measure.

- Measurements of all sheetrock, flooring, cabinetry, counter tops, etc that need to be replaced for estimates.We’re both ambitious but also realistic about the risks.

Also, remind them this is coming from a safety measure for everyone wellbeing due to the climate of crime near our homes. 

Bring a thermometer and measure the temperature separately from the thermostat to see if they exaggerated the issue.

It sounds like you're working really hard to make this work for them instead of measuring them against hard standards.I recommend you establish clear screening criteria.

The only effective and useful way to do it is to measure each tenant individually, and there is no good excuse not to.

Good opportunities, early stage opportunities, may not have the best online presence, but be otherwise legitimate.Also IRR is a vanity metric, it's the wrong measurement.

Read this book first - https://www.amazon.com/Every-Landlords-Property-Protection-Guide/dp/1413307000 - before getting into more complicated and expensive measures of protection.Let me know if have questions or want to chat further - I can give you my investor perspective.