Download your state landlord tenant laws and this will give you the correct information.If you documented the condition at move out with photo's, and did you have move in photo's showing start conditon.. do you have receipts of items that were paid for that were replaced, have a receipt for whom ever you paid for cleaning,, I'd say they would not prevail in small claims court, where they would be required to go to sue you..I'd respond with I have documents and receipts for charges, and the move out charges were correct.   

Use their credit as a co-signer and then give them a small % of the equity - maybe 5-10%

Call the police and report the theft.If you are able to take the tenant to court (small claims if under the limit in the jurisdiction) and obtain a judgement, then you can seek a garnishment of wages.

I am excited to be at the stage I am at where I feel ready to start trying to put in offers on small multi-family housing units to generate capital and long-term wealth!  

We are looking for single families and small multi-families.  

I can purchase a roughly $300k condo in Ventura or Oxnard as an investment property and rent out the condo for a fairly small ROI.

Thankfully it was a small loss in the grand scheme of things.

It's a small place in a great location.

Probably the best viable route for you is buying a small 4 bedroom house in Mesa and renting out 3 rooms.  

I paid a small local plumber 25 years in the business to to replace both inside guts of the top tank bowls for 2 toilets and flappers with chain.