As for me, I simply got my free tools and left(got a flip calculator, book on negotiations and other things).

Whether it is a car, a set of tools from Sears, credit cards you pay off in full each month , etc.Bankruptcy does not really ruin your credit for 7 years. 

Well thanks for that @Kyle J.I've just never thought of it that way and no one has said that I could do that as an option - and I have worked with at least 2 realtors (1 seasoned in the business for a few years and the other new-er) that never mentioned anything like this as an option.Armed with the right tools one can achieve much. :)I've always looked at this beginning process as having to follow a certain standard.

You should see a nice bump in value after it opens barring disasters on other fronts like interest rates, oil and world peace. 

@Leigh Ann Smith I deal with land in the Phoenix, AZ area and the Maricopa county online tools are very helpful as they show both the flood plains (which can be built on but needs to be "built up") and the flood zones (cannot be built on).

I've seen the last 2 webinar's by @Brandon Turner  as well  - invaluable!

A license is a useful tool!

This car is a tool to make my job easier.  

Account Closed  I use Buildium and it has its own credit check / background check tool.

Once you accept this as part of being a landlord and view your home as a "tool of the trade", although and expensive one, and that this is a business of damages, repairs, fixing up your home, evictions and doing it all over again and again, only then will you be a true landlord!