hey @Matthew Toporowski, at the least I would check their financials/tax returns to see how profitable they are (which translates into how easy it will be to pay your rent).

I will most definitely check them out(: 

1) Check with state building dept to see if they have a valid builder's license and if any negative issues with it. - PRO TIP: many builders lose their license then create new company in name of wife or other relative/friend.2) Check Better Business Bureau, but don't assume all the complaints are legit. - If there area MANY, then that is a problem.

I came across conflicting information online, so I wanted to double-check with the knowledgeable folks on this forum. 

A month back he asked me to add his brother and his wife to the lease and I asked him that they need to go through criminal and other checks that we went through.

It's not the data or the asset classes; it's you.You are often your biggest roadblock.Considering this and looking at your journey differently, you can break the stalemate.If you are new and want advice, you must be open to ALL advice, not just the kind that supports your first idea or asset class.

It would be worth paying a third party to go and check the work for you to confirm it's completed before sending the funds. 

He analyzes the data regularly and names the best locations to invest.

He paid monthly for 14 months until he forgot a check, got hit with a late fee, then paid the remaining 10 months in one check.He moved out at the end of his lease with no issues.Of course, this is the exception, not the norm.

He reminded me that he had come out a month earlier and offered to help identify the leak, but my tenant told him they had already checked and didn’t find anything (an oversight on my tenant’s part).