With out all the competition in the metro area, Absentee Owners could be a pretty good bet since you won't run into as many investors mailing to them. 

I have also had tenants do work that they said was free at the time, only to come back later when moving out and try to charge me.

I'd be a little more worried about the 2.7x rent.  3-3.5x rent is the safer bet.  4 dependents on one salary is also a big red flag. 

If you didn't over-pay for the house and he didn't charge you closing fees I'd just adhere to w.e he says....Your best bet is to post on Avvo and see what the lawyers say (its free).

I bet the big ones go every month.

s) but if they direct deposit they can make a small deposit and it will be considered accepted and nullify your case.Also, make sure you are charging a late fee 5% in NC that seems to motivate people as well. 

They usually charge several $100.

Plus, I'm pretty sure they were charging me for inspections they didn't do.

Your best bet is to first gain an understanding of the market by taking a sample set of similar properties and determining how the different features impacted the overall value of each property.

The Civil Rights Commission will assign an investigator to see if there is cause for a charge - they do not operate on a "guilty until proven innocent" basis.