I still keep my credit cards, but I use them at least once a year as debit cards (banks sometimes cancel credit cards that haven't been used in a while as a security precaution).The other avenue to explore is publicly-traded real estate securities (REITs), including ETFs and mutual funds.

Smart precaution?

As a precaution, we instruct our tenants to keep their faucets dripping. 

Not coming on here to argue though, just trying to help people understand no money down investing, the precautions to take, and how to correctly do it as many people are interested in this subject and guidance as you mentioned is key.

If she starts doing a little investigating and figures out she can sell it for $1.4 Million and happens to see you on social media talking about this she may change her mind :-)====================Appreciate the precaution and reply--she's quite close to a family friend and we have a pretty good relationship with her.

Take smart precautions, but people do stupid things and accidents happen. 

I would talk to the lawyer and see what precautions you can take to protect yourself on the contractor's estimate.

I just wonder how the scammers plan to overcome that safety precaution, because you know they are thinking long and hard on how to do that.

It's very, very difficult to get rid of bedbugs in a multifamily, because it's very difficult to get every household to comply with prep and "sleep safe" precautions. 

If so what precautions did you take?