Or will it be in the same standing as most large cities are today, economic hubs where cash flow is sacrificed for safe and sturdy investments? 

For buy & hold, I'd stick to either LLCs or holding properties in your name (sole proprietorship) with a sturdy umbrella insurance policy.

My original thought was to do laminate floor, which is slightly more costly but more sturdy.

And not all stuff there are that sturdy. 

A sturdy railing could be a suitable embellishment (nothing frail like cast iron filigree) add lighting, new house numbers and a nice mailbox.Keeping in mind the importance of the front door, it's curious why people always seem to want to highlight their garage door but it should really just blend in with the house and not get a lot more trim than a window. ie  Don't spend more money on it than necessary.

If you allow pets, anyway, this may be ideal for setting up a long-term tenant as they'll be invested, and it can only help to have a fenced yard if you allow dogs; otherwise, you may have those that let their dogs out in the morning or in the rain off leash, no fence, and they cause trouble in neighbors' yards.

Maybe he will accept the assistance from one of these groups.Also may in the short term you could add a privacy Fence or some fast growing shrubbery.Is there a dog  leash law that he is in violation of for you area?

Letters tend to get a better response rate than postcards so I would focus on really trying to give them a solid sturdy mail piece.

The day a bag of powdered tile mud split open in my trunk was a day that truly sucked and put me on the path to truck ownership.If you're not quite ready for a truck's gas sucking issues, try a foldable trailer like this:Foldable TrailerTakes up very minimal space in your garage and when unfolded and a sturdy piece of thick plywood as the base, works really well for hauling around stuff. 

However, the tenant still has to abide by certain animal rules like cleaning up after the animal, keeping it on a leash, or not allowing it to bark and disturb neighbors.