The first man, a contractor showed up ready to go, but on demo day lacked a hammer, a drill and reciprocating saw.

It is advice like this that makes me want to reciprocate and pass advice on to someone else in the group, as you all have for me!

I am more than willing to try and reciprocate the favor.

Luckily if it HAD been an issue, any legal fees would have been paid by the municipality in this case so I wasn't on the hook, but my point is that if you treat tenants with respect and dignity and give them as much notice / information / explanation as you are able, they will be more likely to reciprocate and you won't need worry about the intricacies of the Landlord Tenant Act.  

i started out timid like you..over time i said "to hell with it"...i don't care if the tenants know i'm the owner or not....i have a nice rental for them at a fair rate..they shouldn't care who the owner is..i treat them fairly and respectfully and i expect them to reciprocate...it's not rocket science...i thikn you're overthinking a lot of issues...like i said, this is normal and i did the same thing for the first few...after that though, it got much smoother and simpler..now i have a process down!

With you move, have you thought about petitioning to operate as a agent out there; albeit there is no reciprocity agreement between TX and CA, I believe you can still petition in TX, pay a fee, exam and then maintain your CA license while operating in TX.

Again, some might argue it's unnecessary, but I've found it builds good rapport but also gives you more leverage because you are treating them well and expect them to reciprocate that by being good tenants.

Often as brokers, we are looking for a certain level of loyalty in this relationship that is not often reciprocated by the client if they are an investor because investors are looking for whoever brings them the best deal.

Whether you reciprocate or not is a judgment call that is up to you.Oh yeah, by the way: The above is not legal advice and you should seek the advice of a local attorney.

I feel that understanding my market will show me which types of deals are profitable in various scenarios.A few questions:Can agents familiar with the area explain the reciprocity rules between DC, Maryland, and Virginia?