their credit was terrible (not that I expect any different for my 550 month 2 br house) and I won't rent to pet owners with unapproachable animals.

I didn't read through all of it but it seems good enough.On the pet issue I do not do deposits.I do a one time "pet acceptance fee" that is non-refundable.I explain to potential tenants that even though they take care of an animal over the years the pets will do damage to the property.I tell them it covers my costs to fix the normal wear and tear an animal causes over time.You can also charge a monthly pet fee to have the animal if you like.

Before you closed you should have analyzed how long this tenant has been there and payment history.If they pay on time and pay market rent and have been there a long time costs to recondition the property will be high and it will take awhile to get them out at the holidays with the court systems taking time off.I would just moniter it for a little while and see how things go.If it's a small dog usually you don't have to worry unless a bite history exists with animal control.If it's a big dog or aggressive breed you definitely want them out as you could be sued and held liable should you not take action and an incident happens.

Look for agencies that have all of their recently sold properties listed online as well as for sale as another resource.Dion, I always thought ARV and Market Value were different animals that depending on the condition of the property could end up being the value.A house with ARV of $100,000 that needs $20,000 in repair would have a Market Value of $80,000 (what it is "worth" on the market "as is") if it didn’t need the $20k the ARV and Market Value would be the same.

But I'm feeling like Southern California is it's own animal??

Most prisoners are not animals and should not be treated as such. 4 prisoner high bunks in CA with nothing to do all day and no health care - that is a shameful situation.

If all else fails then I would just use one of my agents.The sellers broker is a different animal.

Unfortunately I think you will find that section 8 cares more about their tenants than the landlords.I have gone the route before of section 8 violations and the case workers do nothing.You simply have to evict the section 8 tenants.Mine not in compliance went voluntarily.It was a case of one great tenant next door had a small child care facility of watching 4 to 5 kids.The section 8 next door that were inherited tenants I received upon inspection had a pit bull and a rottweiler.They were told that was a violation of their lease.We evicted and they said they had gotten rid of the animal only to find they were hiding it and was back again.The parents dropping off the kids were scared of the pit bull for the day care next door.This tenant also had a portion of utilities they were responsible for after the voucher paid.They went round and round not understanding why they paid the difference etc.I can tell you when you look at section 8 it is great as long as you pay attention to the voucher.If you want to rent for 800 and the voucher is for 500 then don't do it.They simply will not make up the difference.If it's only 50 bucks they have to come up with then they can usually pull it off.Section 8 inspectors are real picky on all the things they want fixed before you pass inspection.If a tenant wears down a property heavily each year and you have to put a ton of money in to pass inspection each time that is a consideration.Don't be quick to evict the other regular tenant.You have to treat them like a person with a mortgage falling on hard times.

Bryan, I sent you an IM.

I'm not too concerned about water, lake front on Table Rock Lake, on the White River main channel, with a good well too.Your animal ranch is too labor intensive for me, a guy down by the lake grows rabbits and chickens, a strange prepper type that thinks everyday will be the last, uses a 1/4 tank of gas and tops it off.