Compounded by the fact that at that level the "change" that is expected takes a while to come into focus, until then it is speculation, and the business world has to make worst case assumptions. 

----I know al this because I'm self employed in marketing (not RE), but the compound power of time is there across every industry and career.

This is ALSO an After Tax Return of about 10% thanks to the beauty of compound interest......................................But, what the first scenario does NOT take into consideration is that rents RISE over that 30 years.

For the first occurrence, and especially if they bring up that defense, I would take into consideration how long they have resided there and if the tenancy has been short term so far, I would consider possibly splitting the cost to be fair. 

Huntsville's positive aspects include a robust economy driven by aerospace and defense, leading to steady job growth and high rental demand, especially for single-family homes.

I like @Michael Anderson's answer.Two big advantages you can offer to local investors as a private lender are 1) reliability of execution and 2) speed.Meeting local investors at REIA events will create greater trust than simply advertising your services online.People are rightfully skeptical of private lenders, so meeting real estate investors in person and letting them know you are local and actively lending is a great first step to gaining trust.Once you execute well on several deals, word-of-mouth, the most powerful form of marketing (and the only one that compounds) can provide you a substantial tailwind.Best,Michael

Places with the most recession-proof jobs such as in education, government, defense, healthcare, etc. will be more resilient in the next downturn.

I would have thought that if you filed eviction then, it would be for their failure to move at the end of the terminated lease, and no longer for non payment of rent....hence their paying the rent after that shouldn't be a defense right?

Well, and in defense of the Realtors, I don't say that to suggest they have bad intentions or just want to make money.

Phase 2: At traditional “retirement age,” I will have the option to take distributions from qualified assets I’ve built up over the years that will have compounded nicely over multiple decades.