Unfortunately, last year I went through some pretty hard times that dragged me into credit card debt.

Use a rewards credit card and pay it off immediately ...

Parts are still a little clunky (especially the e-leasing-- you can fill in variables in line) and dealing with credit cards where you carry a balance, but it seems like they are improving it all the time.

Credit history is flawless - mortgages paid off, solid history of paying credit cards with no late payments, no late charge-offs, nothing negative at all. 

To save the trip you could simply call the department and once you get your answers you can upload your plans on the website saving you time and money. 

Anytime someone wants money up front to look for a loan for you or to "get" a loan, walk away.Some will have you send a check or credit card for a small amount and then hack that account and drain it.Others will get personal ID from you on an application form and set up a fake account and use Identity theft to steal money in your name.And still others will take a small fee up front, then say they need more for the next step then they need a large amount to fund and then once you've given them that you can never reach them again.Plenty has been written on BP by people's bad experiences.

It allows you to upload pics of your apartments and creates links for them to send to candidates for background and credit checks. 

I created a bank account and opened a credit card to be used specifically for collecting rent and paying expenses related to the property (although I will need to use personal funds to pay for expenses until the property collects enough rent to sustain itself).  

If that comes up, I would very nicely explain that paying late will affect any referral he tries to get from you down the road and, you can always play the card...

I haven't had any complaints from tenants about this charge.The other softwares were pretty good, but here are the deal breakers for each.Tenant Cloud: Tenants cannot setup autopay unless we have the paid versionApartments.com: You cannot upload your own lease, you can only make modifications to their leaseAvail: You cannot upload your own lease, you can only make modifications to their leaseRentRedi: No free version***I investigated these softwares 8-12 months ago, so some things could have changed.