Not sure how many PMCs you've had bad experiences with, but we'll take exception to:"Then do a thorough research on tenant applicants (note: leaving this to a PM may be hazardous to your financial health)".BP seems to have more threads about screening mistakes by DIY landlords as opposed to PMCs.Now, if you'd have mentioned Maintenance, you'd get no argument from me:) Even the PMC industry acknowledges maintenance as one of the biggest challenges.Rereading my post, I kinda see how I sounded negative toward PMs.  

So, the first question they usually ask a PMC is about fees - instead of asking about services and HOW those services are executed.EXAMPLE: PMC states they will handle tenant screening – what does that specifically mean?

You can let applicants know they’ve passed the screening and move forward with showing them the property, making it clear that the lease is only finalized after the viewing.

It’s hard to find good help, so I am hoping to screen better next time.

Simply safety screening criteria.

When it comes to tenant screening, you're right that using a separate tool can often provide more thorough checks.

It's great for a landlord if the tenant is properly screened. 

Good luck, and feel free to ask if you need more tips on tenant screening!

As far as renting, I'd say find a good neighborhood and do good tenant screening. 

Typically, the adjustments I see on appraisals for basements are more flat rate adjustments. 10k is usually the number I've seen.What stinks is that there are a couple of model types that have below grade space where the builder, I'm sure, was trying to lower the taxes by having it below grade so the county wouldn't count that space in the assessment.