Another factor is that they are trying to stay in the same school district though I know that's not my responsibility, I know it can be hard to find a decent priced place in this area.I understand that neither of these might be considered a great candidate as I've read a lot about what minimum requirements should be but I believe that both of these would be good after running all the background checks.  

Anything I can do to minimize the number of tenants and thus decrease this wildcard factor is worth it.

The only nice painted cabinets I've seen have come from the factory that way.Leave the homemade island or kill it - maybe replace it with a semi-cheap table style island with matching granite top (or just remove it altogether and fix and floor damage creating more open space)What is my biggest bang for buck?

This would be due to the higher "hands on factor."I

We own 4 vacation rentals and even though some are 3 bedroom. we offer them to couples for less $ as we find there is a big market for it, the damage and hassle factor is much lower, we offer reduced rates in off season to return guests, and the retired couples tend to return more often than the families. 

I had just assumed income would play a huge factor. I

@Steven ZhouThe most important factor is your property management company.

But, what happened in Silicon Valley is that even with the market crash, and the 6 - 8 month decline in rents - is that then the foreclosed-upon owners were now looking for rents, and rents not only came back to where they were, but soared way beyond what could have been imagined.So, unless your rental is in a town where the only employer may go belly-up (a one-factory town), you probably won't have to worry about it. 

I think the biggest factor is networking.

Our current tenant loves the place and has expressed her intentions to stay there long term.We have since replaced an LED light fixture due to factory defect and had a maintenance call from the new tenant.