I have worked tirelessly for several years, continuing the work of Josh Dorkin, to help our community prepare for both long-term wealth creation and precisely for a recession, which always looms on the horizon. 

there is a very precise way it needs to be calculated using the useful life left of the damaged item to calculate the amount you can withhold for example if carpet was damaged and the useful life of the carpet was 5 years and the carpet is 5 years old you cant charge them at all    To answer your question I would create a deposit accounting and describe in detail what you are charging for .  

I tell them I don't want anyone living in my properties that doesn't want to be there, and that is precisely what would happen if they signed a year lease and their situation changed.

@Kevin Wood thanks for your tips. that's a more precised and works for me. :)

The tenant probably kept it under their hat, precisely because they have seen the kind of toxic reactions which appeared in a flood at the beginning of this discussion.

Will I know with precision the FMV of my investment 5yrs, 10yrs, 20yrs down the road?  

That is precisely what I'd like to do and, frankly, what I enjoy doing.

This is precisely why I said I prefer markets like Indianapolis and Kansas City, but to each hisor her own. 

Would we - or more precisely a U.S.A. entity owned by us - be eligible to purchase this property or is it only available to a "natural" person who happens to be a U.S.A. citizen?

Know the laws of the state where the property is located for a more precise understanding of the legal documents.