It's my preferred method...

When I hear someone say something like, "wow, that was great to learn from that guru", I'm laughing :)) what they are really saying is, wow, I didn't know anything about the subject but let me assure you, I'm now qualified to and can make a judgment call on the quality of the material presented.

Agents tend to be territorial, and I prefer an agent who is more familiar with your target neighborhood.

I have always preferred to stay in the areas I know and that are within a reasonable driving distance for me 90ish minutes from my home.

I can assure you will find alot of helpful tips and information here.

BP would be great too but I do prefer to work in person so hopefully someone localEddieEddie, contact my friend, Raymond Sawyer, he is in San Diego.

Private lenders, like who I work with, prefer to lend to properties held under an LLC. 

Break evens under 4 yrs are generally a safe bet, but I prefer between 2 and 3 years.

Without the tenant explicitly stating (preferably in writing) you can trash whatever is left, you likely have a requirement to store items left behind. 

I am aware of companies like Pad Split, but would prefer to have a more traditional company overseeing the day to day since I am out of state the majority of the year.