I finalized the property on May 3rd and they told me they already have a tenant ready to move in (they did not take my approval or anything or even informed me their background).

I finally told the staff member who was a male about 6' 5" 350 lbs I was not going to sit there and be chastised by him for something I did not do!  

I love how Mint was "semi-automatic", and did a decent job on its own although you needed to come in and tweak categories.All this to say, are there any other Mom & Pop investors out there with more complex personal finance that have found useful software solutions? 

We complete a final walk-thru 24-hrs before escrow close to confirm the property is vacant.Hope that helps!

PC can't make any final decisions on rezones, parcel maps, etc.

Did you pay an auction premium like Auction.com or is the number you bid the final number plus recording fees? 

(more than likely) The rates are not locked in until final approval is given.

I finally told her to forget it and relieved her from the 3k she owed me in damages and late rent.

Since I have been semi successful with this approach I can see it working. 

Finally, my big concern was always defaults and income loss...if I have more than 6 defaults (which I am sure I will), or more importantly, I lose my income...I do not want to be stuck with a high-interest LOC (hence why I started with $5,500 and not 10k).