OP look at your buy box, REI strategy and approach. 

I'm a beginner as well, but have been reading this site enough to see the recommended (over and over) approach is to leverage your presumably un-tied-down youth to move every 2 years, each time using 3.5% down payments to buy multifamily buildings / house hacks. 

Yes it costs money for the coaching, but the typical investor would take decades of trial and error of other investing techniques and would probably never arrive a systematic way of approaching investing for cashflow as is created with the income snowball. 

There is risk with this approach that the tenant can have short residence or leave in Nov to January.  

I appreciate your ready-fire-aim approach, @Brendan Duggan, but you’re likely creating loans that might only be saleable at a discount.

Long story short.. they inflated rent projections, sliced corners on property management, and almost left him holding the bag when the actual numbers came in.Vetting a syndicate means getting cozy with the sponsor’s track record, verifying their underwriting approach, and understanding whether they’ve handled rough waters before.

Seeking advice on best approach...Just purchased a property in the greater Pittsburgh area. 

If these type of damages occur in the future, I would recommend holding the tenants deposit, or if there is a claim to be made through the insurance you sell them you could approach that avenue.

This approach ensured minimal holding costs and a faster return on investment.

However, it requires a long-term approach and more responsibilities than stocks, making it a more diversified portfolio.Good luck!