For one, private money lenders are much quicker—I've seen deals close in just a few days, which is a lifesaver for time-sensitive projects like real estate flips or urgent business needs.

@Grace Chee The process for this is time sensitive, you should have gotten a TRIM notice around late August, early September.

It's entirely possible you have a super sensitive derriere that needs pampering.

I also like that I do not have to personally handle their sensitive info (SSN/etc).

In this situation we have a former-tenant  hyper sensitive to return of full security deposit (when unit wasn’t returned in good condition) and we are  experiencing a few unique damages.

If you know your target market and believe they truly wouldn't care (or be impacted- especially if it's very price-sensitive), you're probably fine with less.

Applicants are sensitive to application fees, so I use zillow for applications because they will see 2 things.

If there's a hole, it may be a red flag.b) sensitivity analysis: I examine all the assumptions, and make sure I can live with the worst case scenarios.c) "Stall and see": if they are getting money over multiple years, and there is no penalty for investing later, I would usually wait so I get some real performance data, versus having to look at theoretical pro forma information.d) Recession stress test: I will not invest in anything, until I subject it to recession level stress and see if I can live with the result.

Less sensitive about the price too, because the goal is to hold for a long time.. 

Applicant credit scores should be treated with a high level of care and should not be handed out when they aren't assured that you are locking them up and taking due care with private and sensitive data.So, many places, including the screening company we used for years before moving to a PM, provide a suitability score rather than the actual credit score.