Usually the tenant pays this anyways in their application fees, so it's really no cost to you either way.Now you have two flavors of tenant screening.  

Who knows what flavor of drug or alcohol he was using lol. 

I have been sitting on the fringes studying before going full fledge since a lot of the gurus promote their flavor-of-the-month which amount to being undercover paid advertisements.  

Considering your criteria, Memphis could be a great fit:Affordability: Lower cost of living makes it accessible.Diverse Economy: Stable market with strengths in healthcare, logistics, and education.Growing Population: Steady growth can drive demand for rental properties.Youthful Vibe: Vibrant culture and entertainment options for young people.Real Estate Opportunities: Research neighborhoods for house hacking and investing potential.Ensure thorough due diligence, connect with local professionals, and align your goals with Memphis's unique market dynamics.

@Rafael MolinaroWelcome aboard the vibrant BP community.

@Javier GaillardWelcome to the vibrant BP community.

I'm sure there are far more people who commute from the suburbs but there are also vibrant downtown neighborhoods... and those two groups rarely cross paths :)

You definitely added a different flavor to this post, @Jeremiah B. 

@Charles Hinson you are saying they are distressed therefore owner financing is off the table, i'd be interesting in understanding what you mean.if the properties are not bank owned, then subject to strategies are the no to low money option. that is a flavor of owner financing.  

My friends are talking about investing in Austin as well (we are from CA), they've been there and think it's a nicer place among TX, young and vibrant place with some companies like Apple or Amazon.