Like you said , anyone can check the history,  I do have cameras installed and I do check twice weekly, it's not too far from my primary home . im a first time investor, is it ok to DM the listing to see if I'm missing something?  

You will want to check your laws first, it is illegal in FL to require renters insurance.

For durability check the max weight and look for performance fabric options. 

Seeking advice here on the best approach, any gotcha's that I'm missing, and overall sanity check... 

Because I will never go into anything that is losing intentionally it's like asking me to choose A or B: take this 50k check or write a random 50k check to a politician.

.: I’m looking at a property that checks all the boxes—good numbers and fits my buy box—but I haven’t seen it in person.

So I told my tenants I wanted to switch to RentRedi for payments because it was more streamlined than collecting checks and such but then they would be forced to pay the $1 transfer fee.

Their character, their payment record, how well they take care of you property, etc all these things are for you to discover with your tenants and build trust between each other. 2. when it comes to screening, you must check their credit, their paystubs, their employer and landlord references, their criminal background, I also get a copy of everyone's photo ID.3.

Pricing - If you cannot check your competitions price and adjust yours daily you may want pricing software (PriceLabs probably best for single listing owners/operators). 

Most standard leases have check, or cash as options as a default so tell him that's his only options if he doesn't want to pay that way then he has to move on with a loss of his deposit.