If lawyer says its ok make sure she pays you first and do not have her tell you that she is living out the security.From April to September is the optimal time to get tenants.

They are very popular because it's a smart way to optimize paying the least amount of mortgage interest that you possibly can.

If you want to start a real estate investment company, I think franchises are less than optimal.

Now if you accidentally find yourself in the land lording business you will almost certainly not have all these areas optimized.  

I really get that having a dog damage the property is not the optimal outcome AND I want to say HOLD ON THERE just a second to the landlords so quickly pulling the trigger to have this dog abandoned, presumably into the system of shelters that end up putting them down.I agree, the tenant is responsible for the cost of repairs AND your time to make the repairs.

I am managing it myself and trying to optimize the process.

And bonus question- what levers do you pull if the response rate isn't optimal? 

Many people here will debate on your behalf whats the best way to optimize the performance, but bottom line, you have an 'income generating asset' that you didn't have before.Don't let the pursuit of 'best' rob you from appreciating what is 'good'!

I agree below market rent doesn't do you or the tenant any  favors because it gives people a false sense of what they can afford and your business isn't optimally run. 

I've been considering doing some wholesaling through DMM, and creating a website and optimizing the SEO but I'm looking around for other options that are less labor intensive.