I've read a lot of bad information on how some gurus are promoting techniques that are flawed at best, fraud at worst.

Since the repairs were two owners ago, I would think the town may be a little more lenient with you.With the new kitchen and bathroom, were they existing and just got renovated or were they added on?

Specifically, under a properly structured Trust the following limitations will apply during the period that the property is held by the Trust: (i) the Trust cannot raise new capital; (ii) other than in the case of a tenant bankruptcy or insolvency, the Trust cannot renegotiate or modify an existing loan nor can the Trust refinance or enter into a new loan during the period that the property is held by the Trust; (iii) the Trust cannot renegotiate or modify its existing leases or enter into new leases other than in the case of a tenant bankruptcy or insolvency (in the case of a Trust that adopted a master lease structure, this limitation applies to the master lease and not the underlying third-party leases); (iv) the Trust cannot reinvest the proceeds from the sale of the property; (v) the Trust cannot modify or improve the property other than undertaking normal maintenance or minor non-structural repairs; (vi) the Trust cannot hold its reserves other than in cash or short-term obligations; and (viii) the Trust must distribute all of its cash, other than cash held for normal reserves, on a current basis.

I would say that the value he brings is finding the deals, doing an initial diligence, having a local team set up for renovations/repairs/property management as well as knowledge of the neighborhood.

Lowering your standards invites expensive evictions and repairs. 

Keep abreast of the latest fraud techniques and adjust your criteria accordingly.Educate Your Team: Ensure that everyone involved in the leasing process understands the signs of application fraud and knows how to react when they suspect fraudulent activity.Legal ConsiderationsWhile it's important to be vigilant against fraud, it's equally crucial to conduct all screenings within the bounds of the law.

@Chris Seveney I'm concerned about having $$$ for repairs when needed.

Hey @Brad Roche - We do a significant amount of renovation loans (both Fannie May & FHA) here in Chicago and prefer the Homestyle loan only because it's less stringent on the borrow about what they have to repair, and they provide the general contractor a material draw at closing which helps the project start on the right foot.I thought the minimum down payment was 5%.

Send her a certified letter (keep a copy for yourself) with your concerns of her not turning on the heat and the problems that can occur with frozen pipes and repair cost in which she will be liable for if she doesn't comply.Is she using space heaters instead?

If you're planning an open house at a vacant listing, know that you've just let the general public know that it is just that - vacant.Better safe than evicting/repairing...