I saw their rating go down and should have taken that as a red-flag.

If you do research ahead of time, what are some red flags that would cause you to back out of a deal or add a couple thousand to the deal cost for legal battles/ cash for keys?

I had an applicant years ago that got a random $10K deposit and that was a red flag to me.

Rentometer can be handy here.Vacancy Rates: High vacancy can be a red flag.

What are some red flags?

This could save thousands, but might add so much red tape that it may not be worth. 

I am worried that my property expenses will leave me in the red because of the current costly housing market.

Do you prefer to have an open "application period" to collect applications and then make a decision based on the "most qualified" or do you take the first qualified, even if on a personal level they put off some red flags.

Do you think this storm will cause prices to finally decline in the once red hot short-term rental market in Florida?

Thus, leaving $60,000 available for the note holder to claim.I did not sell the note to Ben (who offered me $30k for it which again another red flag).