The fact that they're paying "minimal rent" is irrelevant.Immediate Plan: verify that tenants are month to month.

Yelp often has contractor reviews but expect an abnormal amount of bad ones.If I'm dealing with someone I don't know, often I will run their name through Been Verified to see what comes up.

You are not required to verify that she received.

I also test the submission form on my website at the same time to verify that it is working. 

It allows me to verify they know what they're talking about and, depending on the question, will give me some insight into their thought process and how they go about conducting business.When you get to the point of evaluating a specific property, video and google street view become your best friend. 

I have yet to verify.

I have not verified income or anything outside of the credit/background check.

Your job is to drive that issue and find the cause, and don't take anyone's word for it; verify the cause for yourself.

Your best bet is a real estate agent with a verifiable proven track record of success with closing short sales ( and not 3 lol...tens - hundreds preferably).

You should verify with a CPA or a 1031 exchange expert.