Cash invested was tricky because we are expecting our first child so some repairs were unnecessary (extras) that would likely have not been made had it not been our primary residence.

I think it would be hard for a seller to say that someone licensed by the state of Arizona to buy and sell real estate is out to scam them and take their house.With this in mind wholesaling starts to sound like an unnecessary uphill battle.

Could also look at a smart lock so that you can send your guest a code which would prevent the need of exchanging keys with your guest.

No need to make unnecessary upgrades.

if it is something the tenant did or could have prevented-then they pay for it. 

Cameras would be a good option if you can prevent the theft from happening.

The main problem with this method for us is that its taking a lot of our capital out of our pockets, preventing us from using that to buy a house to actually live in.

It seems unnecessary to me, we haven't done anything along those lines. 

@Kevin ManzWhen you say your lease was iron clad - how did that prevent them from suing ?

Broad will do it through an online bank United but they charge $15 month for the wire feature and $12 month if bal goes below $1500..I am just trying to avoid unnecessary fees that will eat away at what I have.