Adding 16 small units can be very profitable, with enough profit for all those involved.  

They have left so many people in terrible financial situations due to dishonesty and if you got involved in an investment with them like I did it will be one of your biggest regrets.

I am starting to become involved in real estate investing and I am looking between two cities in Ohio to purchase my first property (hopefully a duplex).

Does anyone have a template or method that they use in order to screen tenants effectively in order to reduce the risk of non payment and damage to the property? 

When a lot of tenants are involved, you want to provide as many options as possible.

It's better to be honest with your current lender and all parties involved in the transaction, than to risk losing your EMD and falling out with lender Bs false promises.

You won’t find many seller-financing deals here, so if you're looking to scale quickly, your next best option is the BRRRR method—using cash or hard money to acquire properties and DSCR loans to refinance into. 

I've been thinking a lot about Florida and I believe it's a great state for future potential investments such as purchasing and renting out (utilizing the BRRRR Method Of Course).

Understand the fees involved and calculate the total cost for an entire year of management so you can compare the different managers.

That method will increase your ROE significantly more.Also read the BP book on BRRRR investing.