Some things are worth gambling on, but you can't put a price on a good tenant who takes the stress off of you while you're not even in the same state, let alone the same country.Just my 2 cents.

It generally makes a document easier to admit into evidence if needed and establish the authenticity of the parties involved.A witness and a notary are not the same.

A good PM will ensure you are at market rate and that your income and property are protected.If you prefer to risk your financial future by gambling on your own abilities, at least go to an attorney and get a state-specific lease agreement.

If you don't see it in person yourself, you're taking a bit of a gamble.

Its your house and your strategy so it depends on how you want to gamble, renew lease start over etc.  

You will be moving forward with real experience.The idea of leveraging up as much as possible is just gambling, it assumes we have more control over the myriad variables at play than we really do. 

If I am gambling with a 100% finance, I would not pay a dime, however, I can give you what you need to progress, a track record, experience, and a chance to earn on the next one.

But it's a bit of a gamble I suppose.I think another angle is to refinance multiple rentals into a portfolio loan (asset based loan), which I believe can be done using your LLC. 

If it works for you they by all means,  gamble.

We haven't had any tenant who didn't smoke inside once the weather got bad, no matter what they promised at the start.Also, people who smoke have a greater likelihood of taking up other addictive habits as well.... drugs, gambling, etc.Here's a copy of our No-Smoking policy, which has worked well for us:NO-SMOKING POLICY.Tenant acknowledges the premises are designated as smoke-free and agrees not to smoke and will not allow any of their family or guests to smoke on the premises, either inside the unit or outside on adjoining grounds.Tenant agrees to abide by this no-smoking policy.This includes smoking tobacco, marijuana, any other substance, and vaping.