Probably by a factor of a hundred.

Math wise a fixer will probably be better, but the most important factor in a house hack is picking a property that you would be happy living in, because if you are unhappy then there is really little point to the endeavor.

What was the deciding factor that made you take that leap?

We look for rent growth because this will be the main factor in determining ARV.  

Calculating a new cost baseline and factoring in your updated costs would be a solid start.  

I also used the crime map from realtor.com and trulia to give me a  general feel of the safetiness factor.

Nothing lasts forever.  

There's a lot of great advice here on this thread.My partner and I made a list of many cities in the US and made an excel sheet to track metrics like population growth, job growth, affordability, Fortune 500 companies in the city, demographics, and other factors.

Ultimately, whether or not you decide to take them to small claims court will depend on many factors that only you can evaluate, such as how much money is owed, whether or not it's worth your time to try and recover that money, the likelihood of being able to collect on a judgment if you are successful in court, etc.Good luck.

In theory this could go on forever, lol.