Are you going to sign a contract with your family member?

Definitely not a good sign.  

Also, networking with local contractors and lenders now will save you time when you're ready to move on a deal.When you visit, try to walk neighborhoods at different times of the day, chat with locals, and take note of any development projects or signs of growth.

I guess a lot of Scott's buyers are under water the day they sign a loan, so he must be regularly evicting and reselling some of those houses.

In NY, NJ, CT, PA, MA the security deposit is regulated, as well as how much you can collect at lease signing. 

The signs are obvious when a tenant is about to leave unexpectedly.

If not you will find it in the mailbox and can keep it until someone contacts you, or not.If folks change tenants and updated rental agreement are signed, we make it clear that we do not deal with divvying out the security deposit.

I wait for 10 minutes and then a security guard tells me it is closed at 4 PM as indicated by a printed sign.... 

You can often uncover major things with a little research before you view the property - Ages of appliances, HVAC system, foundation/cracks, plumbing leaks, small electrical things (bring an outlet tester), signs of previous leaks, termite damage etc.

I recently seperated from active duty went guard and my partner who is active duty and I are trying to combine our VA entitlements as we did previously and co-signed on our previous loan.