I'm not sure if we should use that cashflow to pay off the reno (assuming the $579/mo cash flow - it'll take another year or so) or go ahead buy another property.

If I stopped adding $3400 per month to my mortgageFor the next 3 1/2 years, I could use that $140,000 to buy a rental cash or leverage two or three but maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here!

A bit of a real estate nightmare ahead, but I'm about to navigate BP for some help from my fellow investors! 

I did offer shorter closings and a higher earnest deposit which I think is a great way to put you ahead of other financed offers (<--pro-tip) but this comes with slightly greater risk and I'd only advise if you have strong and almost guaranteed financing in place. 

I read Brandon Turner's articles on Renting your House and Tenant Screening: Ultimate Guide (excellent resources), and feel more confident in going ahead and marketing the rooms for rent. 

Getting that price down is always going to be your big money maker, ahead of every other consideration.

But us BiggerPocketers don’t we look at the facts before rushing to judgement or regurgitating what the uninformed crowd does?

I also went ahead and purchased my domain name for a website which is also suggested, but not mandatory.

Is there anyway I can vet the tenant before I go ahead with the purchase- verify some income, past evictions, felonies, credit, past landlord testimonials?

looking to plan ahead for next year.