.- Appraiser came by, walked in the house, took photos of everything that was finished and looked nice, and then avoided everything that wasn't completed.- I got the appraisal I needed.

Charge the tenant for th ecost if that was the case.If damage is excessive go through insurance for repairs otherwise avoid making claim.

You will be able to avoid the pitfalls by asking a lot of questions.

The lease is up in 5 months, and we were considering putting the house on the market (we were lived in the property for a few years and are trying to avoid capital gains taxes when we sell this investment income).Thanks for any suggestions as I have never had to go through a claims process this extensive in any realm.  

Just need to check your states laws first.A lot of the time people avoid problems as if they will just go away on their own.

I'd personally avoid anything with a negative Cash on Cash ROI and Monthly Cash flow.

The key is keep pushing forward while avoiding basic mistakes.Use your fear to your advantage. 

For example, if you had a small leak tenant will not call a plumber to avoid the $75 fee.

One may value something differently than another.I read here where some investors advocate that the owner maintain the tenant's deposits to avoid fraud by the management company.

On a side note avoid long lease terms . 2 years is way too long