We still have other applicants we could screen in the meantime, and a steady stream of calls from other people who still want to see the apartment.

The quality of images you can take with a cellphone is great...once downloaded on your 32" desktop you can go full screen and zoom in to see excellent details, documenting your findings.

The platform offers screening at a nominal cost and has a fantastic marketing feature that blasts out our listing to 20+ search engines (Zillow, apartments.com, etc).  

(I will post the before and after as well as more info about the property and purchase price etc. in another thread) I went through an extensive application process, and finally chose a tenant after about 3 weeks of screenings and I am happy to say I am currently in my first month as a Landlord.I am hoping to continue investing and gaining knowledge by using this site as well as linking up with other investors.

Using the tax package I am using, I am running into the following questions:I get this popup from the tax package:Special StepsIf this activity was a passive activity in a previous year and you're carrying forward losses from the activity to 2015, or if you sold or disposed of part or all of your interest in this activity or property used in the activity, follow these steps:Click Show Form and then Whole Form (or just Whole Form if the form is showing at the bottom of the screen).Scroll down to Part IV of the form, "At-Risk/Passive Activity Questions."

That's a bit too rich for my blood.

I cannot stop thinking of landlord after landlord on the bp podcast that value strict tenant screening so highly!

Here is a screen shot of a comp that I pulled this morning for a house I just got under contract.

The only thing I would say is screen your tenants yourself before you leave--if you can.

This included painting the entire unit, a new refrigerator, new stove vent, window screens, blinds, shower caulk, carpet clean, removal of left behind items, HVAC service, level ac unit, replace smoke detectors, replace toilet seats, and several other small items.