But given the heightened competition I'm branching out into auction to find deals this year... and it appears to be bearing some fruit as long as this home is not a complete train wreck when I finally get to see it.

A personal Liability Umbrella will not cover anything on your rentals, only personal issues, car wreck etc.

Unless I'm buying a wreck and doing a bunch of rehabilitation, I don't see getting 1% rent. 

If the heath scare issue occurred a month of two earlier the entire project could have turned into a train wreck, so plan head, even if your partner looks young and healthy.

There's a (very low) minimum commission, which ensures I have reasonable compensation for an ultra-low purchase price - typically it's a wreck and/or REO.  

If they are unwilling to buy in a benign economy, there is no way in heck they will buy when the economy is a wreck. 

However, one of my property managers is saying they're seeing more of this - tenants wrecking every property. 

I would consider myself lucky if they moved out and did not wreck the property on the way out.

Tulsa's clay soils tend to wreck old slab on grade homes and so its a decent business in Tulsa.

These will all be WRECKED if we ever have major storm flooding.