My hopes were to hopefully buy the homes in poor condition cash, perform the renovations cash, rent them, and then refinance.

@Frank Ma - Age, condition and mechanical details of the building and what that means for differed and future maintenance:  flat roofs, central chiller, age and condition of ac units, etc.What is the unit mix and is it appropriate for the area?

It was about an 8 out of 10 as conditions go, almost turn key condition.Before I met with the seller he told me that he needed cash fast because he has to leave the country.

To answer your question it depends on the exact location since it can be very rural just a few minutes outside of town & also the condition.

Fast forwarding to moveout, we cleaned the home to a very respectable living condition and notified the landlord we would be out mid-afternoon.

Joel - 1) I would recommend  getting an idea  where you stand  based on your  current income  / assets / credit  so that you can  establish a present " baseline "  plus  so you can make sure  that there are no wrinkles on credit  scores / history 2) if you have any specific  scenario that you are targeting -  getting  a  conditional  pre approval   using whatever scenario you want to use - should be possible  ...this will allow you  to confirm if the plans you have are  valid and  have a chance to work 

If you find none and are satisfied with the condition, refund the tenant as much as you see fit.

Then she said never imagined a girl would live with this kind of bathroom condition.3)The entire downstairs was painted as part of the frozen pipe incident.

Upon the expiration of the Lease and any extensions thereof, Tenant shall surrender the Premises in as good of state and condition as they were in at the commencement of this Lease, reasonable wear and tear from ordinary use excepted.The issue here is there is not mention of a $$ for a Penalty. 

same condition?