The value for the resident is generally more about location with relation to a commute, comfortable furnishings, an accommodating owner/landlord, a fenced yard if residents have pets and affordability.

There are many alternatives you can use, I would urge you to check your local laws but I know here in Cleveland, OH we can charge an increased deposit or we can also require a guarantor (who can have different credit req. then someone living in the unit) It's important that no matter what you do you do it for everyone going forward, making exceptions for screening for some but not all can become a Fair Housing issue. 

If a property isn’t a good deal or has issues, he either won’t share it or will advise our clients and friends to pass on it.We also have our own investment deals and have built a reliable network of great contacts, which is another benefit to working with someone who has done their own deals. 

From personal experience, MLS deals are much less lucrative given their higher price points (typically).With respect to financing, you can talk to any of the hard money lenders on this site for different financing programs they offer (some are tighter with someone who has not yet executed a flip), you can take equity out on existing properties you have, you can use private loan from a friend or relative.

@Blaise Peterson from a PMC point of view:If the property is vacant, we'd just terminate the contract, because there's nothing really to manage and we don't just want to be used cut the grass.If tenant-occupied, there's a host of liability issues for a PMC if owner hires another agent to list for sale:1) Who knows what transgressions the Owner's agent will cause with the tenant while showing it, possibly resulting in the owner and the PMC getting sued.

This occurred long before automated advance electronic payments.Interestingly, I never rented to nuns before, I learned that this nunnery doesn't issue paychecks, as the convent provide jobs, housing as well as food at the convent.

Many of us in Illinois hear quite a bit about how easily you can get sued as a landlord related to security deposit handling, thus many shifting to a non-refundable move in fee instead. 

Any questions related to trees growing near powerlines I could possibly assist.

We offer renewals unless there is a serious issue anyway.

The rationale is: make sure you've thought through all (or most) of the issues that can come up.