It is an ugly, tragic reality in California and everywhere else where it exsists.When I moved from Canada to the US it was shocking that I had to stand in line at 5 am at the free clinic w/10 other people just to get medical care for strep throat.

@Drew SygitOh, I forgot to ask - any free tool recommendations for determining the various classes of neighborhoods in different regions?

That will determine if they can have the dogs there or not.

My suggestions would be in this order:(a) Determine the type of financing you qualify for - this will short cut the process considerably and save time on investment angles and next steps.

You will have to gather more accurate operating costs (vacancy loss, taxes, utilities, insurance, mgmt fees, maintenance, HOA) to best determine potential future performance.

Be sure you consult your agreements with them as well to determine if there is some other action you are responsible for.You may also want to contact your insurance to find out if and when they may step in and do something.

Do you have some tool for determining the median credit score for a given neighborhood?

I tell my clients all the time that the quality of your property will directly determine the quality of your tenants.This is a very important rental property investing fundamental most new investors always forget or ignore simply because they are just too desperate for  "Cash-Flow".

Buy and Hold GuyResolve, commitment, and determination are necessary. 

Could you share how much upfront investment is typically required to determine whether a project is worth pursuing?