For some making $2K profit is adequate.

If done properly, your screening will weed out anyone attempting to commit fraud.I use a "sight unseen" clause to prevent problems:American West Realty does our best to adequately describe our rental units to you.

As I was putting utilities back in my name, I drove a tenant to City Hall and to the Natural Gas company (where he was behind on payment) to pick up the remainders of his deposits which he didn't realize he was entitled to get back. 

Let things develop naturally. 

Have a plan for the property, keep adequate reserves, and get the building inspected before you buy, and leave nothing to trust.

The property might not see natural appreciation over time, but you could always force appreciation with a renovation.

My plan is to buy and hold.PUB02121 of the MO Department of Natural Resources states that “demolition or renovation to an institutional, commercial, public, industrial or residential structure (excluding exempt residential structures as described in the preceding section) will involve greater than 160 square feet, 260 linear feet, or 35 cubic feet of regulated asbestos containing materials, then the removal of the asbestos is regulated by the department” but the City Planning and Development Guidelines for KC state “any person undertaking the demolition or renovation of any structure shall employ Missouri registered contractors and certified workers”.It seems to me that the city regulation requires you to contract a certified asbestos abatement professional while the DNR will only require this action when meeting a certain threshold of asbestos material but I am not sure.I should add that I am not an experienced real estate investor nor do I work in the real estate industry but I want to go into this with my eyes open and I am sure I will have many more questions in the future.

Appreciation, both forced (rehab) and natural (market, time)4.)

I've seen people mention looking at employment rates and projected employment rates, population growth/decline and things of that nature.

Your posts are starting to read less like someone who wants to be correct, and more like someone who just wants to win.If you want to take a position contrary to a code section, regulation and TC case, that's fine, but I hope you speak with your client about the risks and adequately disclose the position to mitigate both your and your client's penalty exposure.Best of luck Michael.