Never had an issue in the past with a tenant of 10+ years but they recently moved out and we are trying to figure out the best way to add something in the lease just in case someone goes nuts with utilities(tries mining crypto or something that would run up the bill a crazy amount).

It's honestly kinda nuts how quickly the bonuses accrue and how organized the site keeps you.  

Charlotte is a tough market from a cash flow perspective because price points are so high, but some surrounding areas are proving fruitful.

Funny thing, Dave, is that if you talked like this two years ago we'd think you were nuts! 

Start with the monthly nut that you need to cover: those are your numbers and they'll be different for everybody. 

The leasing fees are the low hanging fruit that makes that business even worth pursuing.

Let’s pretend neither of those things happen and you nail it dead nuts on.

Now 3 years later appreciation has gone nuts and it’s now worth $275K and I refinanced $130K out for something else and it still cash flows $500.

We only lend our own money and I know that most other lenders think we’re nuts.

Especially when there are tons of incentives for grabbing that "low hanging fruit," like there is in your particular situation.IMO your 'low hanging fruit' would be utilizing the new-ish Fannie Mae rule allowing only 3.5%-5% down for owner occupant financing (house hacking) on ALL small multi properties (anything under 4 units, so duplex, triplex or 4-plex).