According to a Facebook discussion, the owner stated that the tenant would not qualify (felon /poor credit) under normal circumstances and only gave this guy a chance because he worked for one of his subcontractors.   

God sent circumstances allowed my wife and I the opportunity and ability to rent out our home to a great tenant.

Hello BP Community, I've recently learned that there are government agencies that give minority-owned, women-owned and new small businesses grants to help start their businesses.

Under normal circumstances, Chicago is tenant friendly, but in the pandemic you are walking on egg shells. 

Have you examined any rulings or court cases in this area for similar facts and circumstances?

I’ve tried my hand at managing from afar and it wasn’t too bad but it was also under different circumstance and can see how this can get difficult.

REI is a combination of both.Let me add a 4th:  Never, under any circumstances, ever, for any reason,...spend your seed money. 

Getting the clock started is very important even under normal circumstances.

I've committed to analyzing a few properties each week just for the sake of practice and learning how to account for different circumstances etc.

A good rate depends on your circumstances but I'm hearing around 4% right now!