I think things will be smoother now that I have established a trustworthy team that has proven themselves with me over 6 different deals.

Typically, these animals come from a program that should be very easy for you to verify.

A lot of local tenants claim to have emotional support animals (ESA).  

If the owner sees a trend, or is just animate about upping the 2% - they make an offer of renewal and the tenant has two choices. 

Hi Tyler,Emergency contact name on application--call the number and ask.If the units has pets set a BIG baking pan of water on the floor with some Purina for them, and check back on them every few days to make sure they have food and water.If the renter is deceased, ask the Emergancy Contact if they want to keep any pets, else (keep them yourself) or contact a "No Kill Shelter" to have them re-homed:  https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/article/looking-for-a-pet-start-at-one-of-these-no-kill-animal-shelters/Good Luck

You get t use the old "that is company policy" line, LOL.Land development is a different animal than holding a SFD, so is construction or flipping, so your business needs should be addressed for the strategy you follow. 

East lansing is a different animal, and prices are definitely higher.

When people ask us, we tell them that allow well-behaved dogs for a $25 pet fee and state that they respect he following house rules:Tenant needs to clean up after it in the yard No animals on the furnitureNo Wet/Muddy Dogs in the houseThen we provide a little doggy basket with a towel + lint roller.

REI gives you the ability to manage it much differently (and better) than your own persona debt.REI debt and personal debt are different animals.

I would be super careful with out-of-state properties with the exception of when you can get them for a steal and when you are fairly positive they will appreciate.Otherwise, while some out-of-state properties look like they are cash-flowing well when all the counting is done after a few years the inefficient things will bury you e.g. the additional cost for property management, the inefficient management by management companies, the fact that management companies don't visit your property enough to know the tenant turned your property into an animal rescue center, etc.As for whether SFR or multi-units are better, I find that multi-unit properties always have the best ROI.