I've wondered that myself and thought: If an investor was looking for birddogs why would the birddog have to pay the investor money before they began securing leads for the investor, that the investor would then in turn give the birddog an investor's cut on the profit end???

This is exactly why you take a security deposit.

I guess that's part of my question, if you could have the security deposit cover that and people's experiences so I could better prepare myself. 

You have engaged and paid securities attorney and are compliant with Reg D offering 

I did the right thing by asking for the security deposit and first month of rent before handing the keys.For the next two months, she has been a nightmare.

.- Financing: Starting with cash but hoping to secure loans for future investments.

* What do you do to ensure that the tenant is responsible for security deposit disputes since that is the largest reason for owner lawsuits* How familiar are you with the newly changed laws that can affect you the owner if they are not used correctly?

It would likely be comparable to what you pay in the NE.Just google "Lexington County tax estimator" or whatever county you're interested in and you'll usually find a web tool from the County you can use to estimate the tax bill based on the previous year's assessments.There is also a law called the ATI tax exemption that can potentially lower than 6% rate by 25%.

What about the security deposit? 

You live in a $1,000,000 house and are able to secure a HELOC for $150,000.