Hello Dan, The easiest and most pain free way I have found to screen tenants is by using a company called Naborly.

I jumped from safety, into the frying pain and straight into the fire! 

Certainly a large percentage move since election in the long end of the curve and lowest rates might be gone but a lot is market psychology and expectations of higher inflation which might or might not occur.

Of course, this doesn't apply in the cases of trash left behind or other obvious damage since I took ownership.In my experience it can be somewhat painful to get a fully execute estoppel agreement that both the previous landlord and the tenant agree upon. 

How much of a royal pain is this to deal with?

Mainly depends if you & your husband have other assets you can risk losing if you're sued (primary home, 401k, stocks, etc).The downside is chartering an LLC makes financing more of a pain (adverse lending terms).

I don't think w two you've reached the pain point yet, that usually hits many in the 6 - 10 range when banks start getting more stringent w borrowing, and paperwork, makeovers, direct renter engagements start taking more time and interupt your lifestyle.

Many renters are painfully ignorant about what they have insured, and many believe that the landlord will pay for what was described above.

Find a niche within the industry and learn as much about it as you can, then try to locate motivated sellers...always try to solve a real pain.

I know it’s not fun painting ceilings, it can be a pain in the neck but let’s do the job right the first time and put a coat of paint on it.