And I will return their security deposit after I assess for any damages after they are out.

In my area, we almost always have earnest money deposited at a title company.

Literally the hardest part of being a landlord of stabilized properties (if you have a rock start property management team) is scanning the physical checks for deposit every month.

You can always give the tenant the right to match your best offer, but be sure that they get pre-qualified for a home loan so you don't waste time with them if they can't qualify.

Also, connect with a local real estate agent at some point, they can help you find some properties that match your needs. and get them to connect you to a local lender when the time is right.

Allowing him to simply move in opens up the possibility of ending up with a tenant that has not been vetted or screened, has not paid a deposit, has not provided their info with which to take legal action such as an eviction/send him to collections, etc.

I am holding 1mo security deposit currently.So she paid OCT rent, and per the lease should pay NOV rent ($2k) + 1mo fee ($2k).I know she is just going to walk and not pay the additional rent or fee ($4k total)....why wouldn't she?

We get first and last plus security deposit up front.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on if there is any legal requirement for Loan Depot to deposit our funds within a certain period, like there appears to be when they're paying off a mortgage for that type of cash-out refi.  

ARV has to match the loan and improvements.