Back to do you even want it; is it in a good area where there is demand for remodeled houses or demand for rent? 

If it comes back strong (and I think markets with strong demand leading up to the shutdown will, as this is unrelated to supply and demand for housing, but I digress and again what will happen is anybody’s guess), there will be a glut of new listings coming on the market at the same time from everyone who was waiting to see what happens suddenly needing to sell before the selling season is over.

In general though, renting has been “easy” for the past 5-6 years as supply and demand have tilted in landlords’ favor and rents have risen accordingly.

This will give you a good idea on supply/demand as well.

Treat the unit, have him get his animals treated as well.  

lol and could take longer period of time to complete) with fixer/turnkey older homes: (which you probably know already) con: - had to worry about HVAC, water heater unit being old and not replaced yet - if it was somewhat fixed already - dealing with potential short cut work from previous contractors - find any unforeseen issues that you'd have to have trustworthy people in place to find out for you (with your due diligence in place)- could have issues after purchase when you try to do your rehab Pro: obviously even with those issues above, there "could" be more ROI in place when its done.New construction: con: - not much addition to do to add more value to your home - Hoa fees could be higher - because newer neighbors use CPM (community property manager) in the beginning - Need to know if the neighbor has a cap of rental properties before purchase, and need to purchase quickPro: - like you mentioned, less capex and maintenance - potentially find a tenant faster - most of the things in the house has warranty up to 5 years Also, if you do end up buying new build, look around the area to see if there are more new constructions going up, it could indicate that population in the area is growing and the area is in demand. 

It all comes down to supply and demand of capital and risk/return profiles. 

I’m not an expert but I believe this means the house supply is short and demand is high?

He's already balked at giving her back the security deposit, so she's asked me to help her write out a letter to him with a formal demand.

Supply increases, demand decreases, defaults without foreclosures (not allowed for now but will be soon enough) will create a new real estate panic Government will require banks to loosen the grips that were put in place after the last crash.....