As soon as I took possession, both tenants signed a new 12 month lease with me and both paid rent in Sept.  

I would do a complete inspection and make sure they didnt do any damage there and have them sign a waiver of liability since they are working there.

Signing leases merely to sub-lease is not a business model and in 90% of residential leases is specifically prohibited. 

A sign of a poor area used to be lack of cars.  

. - Useful to get some high level info about crime rates, schools ... all the basics when selecting an area.

Also, all of these fees must be disclosed in the legal document  (PPM = private placement memorandum) shared with the investors that are signing up for the investment.If you'd like more clarification, feel free to PM me.Best of luck!

I would like to start investing in like a multi-family apartment but is this even possible given my situation as i don't have a "stable source of income/verified employment" i saw things like no doc mortgages, co-signing on a mortage etc. and things like that but is there another way to go around investing given my situation? 

The previous owners want to make the veteran sign a new lease that includes paying them their $200/month OR want to keep the security deposits to account for this Any advice? 

The previous owners want to make the veteran sign a new lease that includes paying them their $200/month OR want to keep the security deposits to account for this Any advice?

Once you start to engage with your selected market, you'll start to pull in professionals like realtors and property managers.