They knew the furniture and fridge wasn't theirs, so what they engaged in was likely felony theft depending on your jurisdiction.

First, choose your location, which defines the long term characteristics, including:Whether your rental income will keep pace with inflation.The total amount of capital required to reach your passive income goals.Income persistence - How long your income will last.Next, choose a tenant pool with a high concentration of what I call good tenants.Has stable employment in a market segment that is very likely to be stable or improve over timeHas a credit history with which you can evaluate the likelihood that they will performPays all the rent on scheduleTakes care of the propertyDoes not cause problems with neighborsDoes not engage in illegal activities while on the propertyStays for many yearsOnce you choose a tenant pool, select properties that your target tenant pool is ready, willing, and able to rent, the process is illustrated below.

Well since your the only one who mentioned it  to me that is by far the most important factor .. all the rest is just normal real estate due diligence and if one cant do it themselves they can engage someone to do it for them.

There is a huge push from the White House to close tax loopholes and you can sure bet that by engaging international investors you are in fact making yourself and your company a target for audit.

You will receive an Addict award along with a habit; as well as learning and retaining useful real estate information without struggling.We are considered to be the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with so connect with REIA meetings, accountability partners, and mastermind groups to engage with individuals interested in real estate investing.At the bottom of this page is a list with help in it.

Combine your experience with Bigger Pockets various resources: ebooks, blogs, forums, podcasts, webinars, colleagues, keyword alerts, an awards system, a learn section, informative people in many fields of real estate, and more.We are considered to be the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with so connect with REIA meetings, accountability partners, and mastermind groups to engage with individuals interested in real estate investing.If you have time consider spending 30 minutes for 30 consecutive days on Bigger Pockets.

And... if after all of that you still can't pull the trigger your options are to engage someone (a mentor) to drag you through a deal... or perhaps just realilze that maybe in spite of what the gurus tell you... this business is not for everyone.

PS:  Congrats on the engagement. : )

Is it customary for an architect to have a book of contractors that they refer to clients when you engage in the architects services?  

@Brandon Hall There are 9 standards that the IRS traditionaly has  used to determine if a taxpayer is a dealer or investor:1. reason and purpose the property was acquired2. lenght of time property held3. number and frequency of sales, usually annually4. continuity of sales over period of time5. overall reluctance to sell property6. substantiality of gain on sale7. extent to which tp engaged in sales activities8. substantiality of sales when compared to other sources of income9. desire to liquidate The taxpayer does not need to meet all 9 or any number.