I'm guessing it must have been pretty loud for you to mention it to the tenant and I do think you did the right thing by addressing it to set boundaries and not have your tenant walk all over you in that regard.

I've had the property walked and will have an inspection done and have a proper budget set aside for the inevitable things that will come up. 

They will generally meet you at the property and walk you they what they expect. 

Not sure which the best but.Know of the contractor with Real Estate Experience that can walk any property you. 

The advantage at least of this approach is that I could walk away, and although I'd lose my 5% deposit, that would likely be cheaper than being involved in a  long drawn out legal process as I continue to absorb holding costs (taxes/insurance/maintenance, etc.).

Because we're new to real estate investing and the real estate tax process, part of me feels like having a local CPA would bring a level of comfort knowing they are nearby to walk us through everything.  

Here is my ambassador link if you would like someone to walk you through it: Sign up to host on Airbnb and use the extra income to fund your passions.

All that being said I love living in the area it is close to Destin and the bases and very close to the water, much of the city is walking distance to a the water. 

I’m not sure how familiar you are with Portsmouth but there’s a 7-11 on the corner of elm ave and George Washington highway near the shipyard and I was a short walk from there, so I’m definitely familiar with both the bad and the good of Portsmouth lol.

@Andrew Stouse you can ABSOLUTELY buy a property using your VA loan with not only ZERO down, but with the right realtor and offer, you can actually walk away with cash back in your pocket at closing.