Am I obligated to return the deposit (minus any that goes to cover damages beyond normal wear and tear) even though he breaks the lease?

I this era of high taxes, insurance, and historically normal rates (notice I didn't say high rates as they are currently somewhat the historical norm), it's hard to do a higher loan-to-value deal and get the rents to cover the PITI + any HOA.

We recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

probably not on its own.There are a few good books that cover raising capital and complying with SEC rules. 

However if you want to optimize the STRs, I'm a broker, and our team lead Rory Cummins and his partner created an "Air BnB Wealth Academy," that covers everything from acquisition to staging and photos.Good luck!  

The payoff amount was updated by $10K, but I always planned to offer about $10K more than what was listed to cover my bases.

Can try to reposition to Class B, but neighborhood may impede these efforts.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, but 15-20% should be used to also cover tenant nonpayment, eviction costs & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores of 560-620, many blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 2 years.

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processesWe recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

@Ko KashiwagiHi Ko,I hope to answer the question you are asking.I did qualify for the Triplex solely based on my W-2 which has since gone up a bit.Because I live in it, but the other 2 units are tented, I was able to depreciate 2/3 of all CapEx and OpEx (units are equal in size).The rental income covers about 81% of my monthly mortgage payment.One lender has told me, they need a 2-year rental income history on my taxes.

Insurance would cover it, I would pay the deductible, and no assets would be lost.If you are in an area like San Diego where people are more likely to sue, a judge is more likely to find you guilty, and the payout is expected to be higher, you may consider an umbrella insurance policy.