Find Brandon's videos on YouTube for the "four square" method of analyzing homes and practice.

In your shoes, my goal would be to get to know folks and make connections - Open the door to have them communicate with you should there be any problems with the property and ensure they call you (not the cops).  

In the future, conduct more thorough screening and educate your tenants on proper communication practices.

Snowball -     Where if I were to payoff a single home with this "extra" money it would increase my cashflow by 8500/yr (but I also lose bank principle pay of 2000/year) so the effective added cash flow is ~6500yr.By the time I add Principal paydown and "slight" appreciation the add homes method seems to be the clear choice.        *** I would love to hear your comments on a debate in favor of the snowball.**** At some point, future, I think I will want most all properties paid off so I can have great flow with minimal stress and maintenance numbers but kinda feel growth phase is still smartest as of now. 

I have used this method for many years each with no less that $10k per house.

Of course things come up, they deal with them and communicate delays or issues.

Agreed on your method..

What are your most productive methods of getting tenants?

While we were unsuccessful with wholesaling, we learned a lot and had aspirations of building a RE portfolio based on the BRRR method.

If you’re facing a situation of non-payment or late payment, start by communicating clearly with your tenant about the situation.