I ended up losing rent money by trying to save on labor costs.

The lease didnt forbid smoking , I think you would lose if he takes you to court .

It sounds like all you really stand to lose is a fridge that was on its last leg anyway.

Lose money, either a lot or a little?

Add to that the cost of flood insurance, and the lower overall property values in a flood zone and you have a total losing situation.

My only fear is that they most likely already have received the rent for August and I may have a problem getting that from them without signing the contract but based on my experience I would rather lose 1 months rent then keep them as PM.

People who quibble over .25% interest rate or fee only to get into a situation where the new bank has trouble closing the deals on time or with other problems.Price is just much less important than whether the deal can get done in time and without headache if you're building a real estate investment business.The other downside to shopping deals each time is that with a banker, you lose future leverage if the deals are seen as transactional.

Because that doesn't sound like much but losing the homestead exemption is what really kills you. 

It sounds like they are trying to bully you into submission, and if you let them get away qith this, you'll lose, and the next landlord will lose.

However, I would prefer not to lose my life savings and retirement funds because of one incident...with that being siad, is the thought of everything being taken from me if I don't have a separate entity just a beginners myth?