Turns out the Listing Agent put tenants in herself.3) I found out 3 days before close that Comparable rents came back too low, despite the Listing Agent having put tenants in for higher rent (an interesting positive from that situation), but the Lender couldn't use her contracts. 

It depends on the situation and, if not required, the risk the landlord is willing to take.What income is counted for child support?

If the tenant has an OCCASIONAL and very TEMPORARY situation that causes them to be late on rent I will almost always waive the fee. 

Your Net Worth ROI calculation takes into account the appreciation, loan paydown, tax benefits, and the rent avoidance (the difference in what you pay towards your mortgage compared to your rental situation).

And how do you usually assess the level of risk in situations where the borrower might not have as much at stake?

I would definitely prefer equity over getting a salary for the property management, but am just not sure how my work would equate in this situation.

Given your situation, you should consider and explore house hacking options heavily.

You should ask a host of questions about how they handle situations and the systems in place - rent collections, maintenance, evictions, vacancies, etc.

Depends on your exact situation, so either 3.5% or 5% down would be the minimum on a new primary residence. 

If I am missing any information that could help our situation, let me know so I can include it in when talking to lenders.