Bigfoot found outside mountain cabin STR""Attractive tenant three months behind, any suggestions?""

Alternatively I could turn the garage into my business storage & "office" as a write off against my rental taxes.

I am all about getting and maintaining slightly nicer than basic features in my homes to keep and attract better tenants.

I decided to rent vs own because, while buying a home and building equity is very attractive, I'm just not interested in rehabbing properties, dealing with bankers and appraisers, the due diligence you need when buying a property, etc.

@Lewys JonesAs alternative you could also go with 25% down and get Heloc.

And what is a healthy/realistic profit margin to be attractive to the bank/investors?

If not, what are better alternatives? 

They should have no alternative interest than a fiduciary duty (your best interest) to you, especially on your first deal.

Are there any alternative strategies I can use to get a hold of these people?

The idea of tying up $50K for the prospect of earning a net 10% return of $5K isn't an attractive way to build and scale a portfolio.