If you unilaterally changed the lease without proper notice you have one strike against you from the start.Does your lease cover this "fine"? 

Create a strike price in your mind and do not exceed it.Gino

This is a fun discussion.. one of the things that always strikes me as odd about people who call themselves real estate investors (as I do) is that it's the largerst group I've dealt with where most people can spend a lot of time talking about their amazing business, but when you ask how many deals they've done, the answer is zero.

I would join a team of wholesalers. become a bird dog and learn what a good deal looks like. attend rei meetings, build a network so when your ready to strike you will have the resources to do so.

That strikes me as incorrect here because a security deposit is in fact theirs, with all going right that money goes back to them unlike the rent that is due to me.

This week I heard two investors strike up a partnership discussion.  

Clearly I cannot strike a contract with the father, can I go directly to the bank, does this need to go through probate?  

You can only strike out when you're at bat.

As much as I like to sell to 625s with FHA, these borrowers that can barely scrape together 3.5%, and are in the low 600s, they strike me as shaky risks.

I suggest keeping your options open, your search parameters broad, and be ready to strike when a deal comes along.