I usually go over and cut the grass during the summers, and assist in changing HVAC filters every 3 months.

Negatives of window AC units:Unsightly, can be taken out by the tenant, can be pushed out by burglars trying to break in, can damage to window framing (tracks/sills) if not installed correctly, creates condensation that needs to be drained outside, if not installed properly condensation can run inside and cause water damage, requires more cleaning of AC unit and filters, need to match size of AC unit to size of room, requires more than one unit to effectively cover all the living areas, less energy efficient, blocks the view out of the window, makes it more difficult to decorate with window coverings, makes it difficult to use window screens, doesn't fit with the norm of the neighborhood, unappealing to prospective renters, hurts the resale value.

Once we were back in the area and got into the house ourselves we discovered on our own that the HVAC filters hadn't been changed in a year and the AC was broken, running continuously trying to heat & cool the house.

While you are not wanting to target "bad tenant" per se, what reliable, defendable filter will you use to select the bad tenant you will rent to vs the one you won't?

I think their filters are smaller and more sensitive to lack of changing.

Then in our personal property agreement add "2019 Calendar" March 13th: Little Mary learns to ride a bike down the long drivewayJune 4th: Johnny holds his breath for the full length of the pool, he is so proudJuly 6th: Family picnic in the expansive yardLOL/JK

Rather than committing a 'large line of credit' to actually make the purchase and hope to come out the other end with a profit, executing an option contract with the seller instead on a distressed property could be done with 10% or less of the capital commitment, plus provide the investor with breathing room to determine if they can actually make the deal work out.This used to be called 'speculating'; now it all seems to be lumped under the general category of 'wholesaling' and considered to be the equivalent of swindling... 

At this point when we get this duplex rented and refinanced we are going to take a breathe and not do any more investing until  approx August of 2016.  

When the day comes that I’ve got too much going on to do that, I’ll charge a small fee up front to filter out the tire kickers.

Nonetheless, a better question is - do you want some breathing room or some wealth?