At lease renewal increase the rent $50 per month and then the same the following years until it is at market rate and more than likely the tenant will leave on their own and you will have still gotten the rent for that entire time until they moved out and built up your reserves for that property.

If something happens to the country and foreigners leave, you won't be able to sell.

Agree, STR are saturated but given the numbers, I expect unsuccessful players will leave the market.  

It seemed that just having some kind of communication back to the resident right away was better than them leaving a voicemail.

Do you want this thing to be the tipping point for them to leave and you have turnover costs and a vacant unit? 

So what do you do with the houses - leave them vacant?

We believe that we are lowering risk, increasing the average expected return, and leaving the upside unchanged.   

@Mark Cruse thanks mark - that's the vibe I was getting as well, super negative and not informative (from one person) This was a success story just on raw numbers - there are obviously more expenses, but some took it and seemed to take it at face value which did leave me to get defensive which I shouldn't have. side note - knowing how to communicate and navigate this community seems to be the key.

I am about to leave for the Army for the airborne and my wife is about to get her real estate license. 

That is where cash-flow shines as you have an income to use those tax benefits with.4.