It’s great that you’re stepping into real estate with such a strong background in renovations and custom home building—that’s a huge asset.

Would love to hear more about your background and experience with real estate.

For example, I mention that every adult must pay a $30 application fee, pass my credit/criminal background, make a combined income of 3x the rent, and whether or not the property accepts pets.

Anyone with some background in this?

An official background check and personal referrals can help you identify red flags unrelated to finances, such as poor tenant behavior or previous criminal activity.

Everything else is just background noise.And one more point: residential real estate prices are "downward sticky".

what is your background?  

After posting on the zillow, do I show the property to only those tenants whose credit/criminal and other background checks out?

We have 6 units so far, and I manage all of them from application and background check through rental payments on Apartments.com.

I find that when I allow pets, I get more and higher quality applicants who earn more, have better credit, and have fewer background problems.