@Bjorn Ahlblad An inspection is probably a better use of my time and a better indicator of the apartment and tenant well-being at this time.

Unless they actually damage something physically on your property, they can do whatever they want.

10% for vacancy (assuming physical + loss to lease) is OK.

The fact that I did not receive what I paid for could very well be a result of incompetence rather than dishonesty.

Is it in a good school district, one that families will rent in for the schools, or is public transportation to somewhere important as well. Being

So I can evict the day rent is late if I want, but I usually wait 7 days.Illegal self-help process involves things like the LL shutting off utilities, removing the front door, intimidating the tenant physically, entering the premises when the tenant is gone and throwing all their stuff on the lawn, etc. 

Here's how I do my due diligence:1) Portfolio matching: (takes 30 seconds per deal)a) Have an educated opinion on where you think we are in the real estate cycles (financial and physical market cycles)b) Then only then pick the strategies, capital stack, and specialized asset subclasses that make sense for that opinion.

About $30 for a desktop opinion by a realtor/broker.About $250-$300 for an appraisal/BPO which involve physically driving and sometimes entering properties.

I am a Physical Therapist by trade, and I currently work full-time as a Director of Rehabilitation in a senior living community in Deerfield Beach.

If this is your first one, fine, learn the ropes of physical labor, the time it takes and the material costs but if you want to own and manage a business, you should not be doing labor that you can hire out for $25 per hour or less.