Her first month's rent/security deposit check bounced.

However months later when the lease was up and there were other items I deducted from his security deposit, he protested. 

...i reached out to an investor asking that i be added to their vip cash buyers list, as i have been given the green light by several buyers to bring sellers to table. she sent me a deal - its great, off-market in north cali with around 40 units, fully entitled. so i sent the deal to my cash buyers list and immediately got a buyer who wants it. i asked my investor friend if she pays a finders fee and she said yes...but since i know that my cash buyer is more than happy to pay above to asking price for the deal, id rather secure the contract myself and then assign it to my buyer but one obstacle i might face is that my pof isnt for 10 million its about half of that....with getting this contract myself also i dont have to worry about next time my buyer going directly to my investor and getting future deals that would leave me cut out of the deal.

- 4 units or less can secure conventional residential financing (if you want to live in one unit you can even get an FHA loan). (3).

Any other assets that can be secured to a loan?

Hey BP, is it too much to request first and last month with a security deposit?

Never take for granted who you are talking to and how they can connect you to someone else that is just the connection you have been looking for. 

Good luck Grant!

I do like your buy & hold strategy, but unless you really enjoy driving to tenants to collect rent every week, you should consider requiring your tenants to sign up for automatic withdrawal from a checking or savings account.Collecting rents in cash creates the opportunity for payment disputes, not to mention being a security risk and a huge inconvenience for you.If you're goal is to build a serious portfolio of properties, you'll need to resolve the rent payment issue sooner or later.

Find units, use conventional financing and first time homebuyer credits/grants or whatever money they're giving away for first time homebuyers and live in one unit while the others are paying the mortgage.