Taking applications online and screening them will cut down on the number of "lookers" you get.

I had suspected after my limited online research that the tenant might be responsible for a least a portion due to the clog and lack of informing me the toilet was not functioning properly.

unfortunately, the big problem is labor.we invest in the city over 2M$ and this is still our big problem.in the last year we did 20 single family flips and 4 buildings, project are delay in time and some contractors are running with money also playing games, taking so many works together etc... 

So first of all, should we even spend time on this lease option for this property and if so how do we elevate our game to be able make this lease option deal work?

Do not renew their lease and find a mentor if you want to stay in this game.

Any tips?

One of their points was that I was trying to dodge my responsibilities as landlord because of a question I had posted in an online forum. 

One with skin in the game ($$) would also allow you more flexibility and to potentitake on larger projects. 

In many jurisdictions this will be part of a searchable online database. 

However, the realtor told me that I can only buy multifamily if I have 20% down.Looking at the current mortgage rate (close to 5%), I am indeed a little bit cautious if I decided to buy a house (SFH or MFH).My game plan now is to save up my money for the next 12 months, so that I have enough principal to put 20% down for a property while learning real estate investing concepts since I am very new to all of this.May I ask what do you all think about this strategy?