That's a really good point and explains the difficulty I've been having.

In the DFW area good contractors are hard to get scheduled right now,,,if you go asking for some sort of discount or paying them with anything other than cash,,they will laugh at you.I just got through waiting nearly 2 months for my favorite contractor to work on a ceiling in a living room, it wasn't an emergency, and I have to wait while he does $50k bathrooms in rich areas, to come work on my rentals,,,thats the way it is right nowAnd BTW, I still don't understand what your talking about 10% of their bid etc..please explain, I must be a little slow

It's best to hash out the exact terms (i.e. interest rate, term of loan, total loan, purchase price) prior to engaging the attorney to draw these items up, but you can also pay the attorney on an hourly fee to help negotiate and explain all of these terms to the both of you.

While they spend A LOT of time explaining their mastery coaching program, they also show you how you can do the things they teach on your own.

There's no point in trying to figure out why.The best thing is to screen as well as possible and explain the lease and the expectations up front, before they sign.

I'd jump no more than $50-75 the first time (I'm in agreement with @Shaun Reilly ), and explain to them that the average 1BR is $800. 

It is math geek stuff to try and explain.

I explained they are free to park a second vehicle but not in the garage my rationale being I can't offer garage motorcycle parking to everyone (realistically this is the only one now ). 

Also---if you purchase a rental property in another state, could those of you who have investments elsewhere explain the tax implications (very generally, of course)?

You should be able to repeat the process at least once and possibly twice before the banks hassle you about buying as an investor if you can explain a personal reason for the move to the next property (better neighborhood, closer to work, more sqft, etc.)