Ultimately, I am trying to get an unbiased opinion on how robust the rental market is in my target area as well as pricing.

Like the above post there are strategic ways to acquire property without over leveraging.

Strategically, I would launch that tenant as soon as your local laws allow.

When I took over my property everyone was month to month and I strategically timed the leases to end February-April.

Don't sweat the minutia and pick your winning battles; I don't see the beginning of a lease as a strategic time to get into an argument over something so small, especially when it's an easy win for you down the road should it re-present itself.

Good trees can be strategically planted to provide beneficial shade too.Step up and do for the property what you would do for your own home to make it comfortable.

Other techniques smokers use to cover up their smoking: incense, air fresheners, and area rugs placed strategically on top of of the wall-to-wall carpeting.

Far from being under-staffed, we are quite robust for this particular industry at 73 full-time employees.I would say instead that we are rather picky about who we would like to do business with and have developed a system designed to allow our ideal investor to move forward smoothly and prevent us from allowing investors to purchase from our company before they have fully vetted us.  

So, I force equity with strategic improvements & good management moving rents to market.

My question to all of you is what REI markets do you foresee having the most stable and robust long-term potential in the coming 5, 10, 20 years?