Should I look at his attempt to clean up his life as a benefit.

  $850 a month is better than having a month vacant plus the cleaning painting etc, you would have to do to get the unit rent ready.Expect what could go wrong will and access all the possible today to the interior possible. 

I've always been a massive fan of A-frame cabins; it's hard to be the aesthetic and clean lines.

In Arkansas, you can; however, it would be unlikely that you'd be able to find a landlord who would allow you to sublet, unless you handled all cleaning, furnishing, and guest correspondence, and the monthly rent they would receive as the owner would exceed what they could get as a normal long term rental.I'm a property manager, and have had several "AirBnB Arbitragers" approach me, requesting this very same arrangement.

What is it going to cost you to repaint and deep clean between tenants.

Soot and smoke removal is a must, the smells can get stuck in the wood so it has to be cleaned and sealed correctly.So the best way to under when a place is worth it, is to see how much of the structure is burnt.

Another problem you often run into is people who don't realize when they vacuum upstairs that it makes a lot of noise downstairs, and who end up cleaning up late at night on certain days.

Exceptionally clean and smelled nice. 

Worth noting that we are not subbing out management but do have a cleaning crew.

Some were routinely making less than 50 dials (not connects) per week.I cleaned house and started over.That said, there are other expenses.