Given your concerns about California’s high prices and tenant laws, exploring out-of-state markets is a great idea, especially for rookie landlords.Oklahoma is worth considering!

I also have the text logs, since I stopped talking to him on the phone so that we would have a record of his communication with us concerning the rent.  

It only happened once, so you have no evidence that this is anything but an honest mistake that's been corrected.The bigger concern is the 583 credit score, because it shows a pattern of financial mismanagement.

So we didn't have an option, we were a bit concerned that guests would want Cable TV, but we couldn't do anything about it.

When I'm investing in trust deeds - my primary concern is the safety of the principal.

Requesting to screen tenants again might raise concerns.

You are entering a dangerous area. 

Money laundering is a big concern and needs to be addressed. 

If this concept is unfamiliar, then continue to ignore it.In closing: The dangers of shifting the timing of your income, expenses, and business transactions.A purely mathematical exercise may indicate some beneficial timing for this or that.

They look like they are sitting on wooden piers and not on a slab or perimeter foundation.As far as lenders are concerned, that could impact the financing.