@Wesley Mullen unless those matched funds have some lengthy vesting period AND you know you wont be at the company to collect them, always take the match.

What is the best form of collecting rent from long distance tenants?

Rentometer simply collects data from user generated input and listings of rental data and surveys they conduct, so some of this data may be greatly fluctuating, because it pulls from landlords who only post on sites like zillow, zumper, etc.

Hi Everyone,I was helping a client find a rental in the metro west area outside Boston and I noticed real estate agents who owned and managed the units they are listing were charging a brokerage fee to the potential tenant (my client) to move in to their home.I thought this was weird because why would an agent want to collect a fee from their potential tenant on top of first, last & security.

@Marc Alexander rates are low so that will help... you are looking at the right numbers as well (I calculate mine with just debt, tax and insurance and only invest at a 33% return... knowing that my goal does not take into account vacancy or repairs so I come in below the 33% but always above the 20% mark you want to hit)Look for and buy fir cash flow... stay away from real crappy areas (like you can get great ROI in south side of chicago but you have to carry a gun to collect rents) and make sure tenants are “good” people....

Just wondering what people are using for a property management tool that collects rent, has a background check, and any other basic needs?

I would not pay more than 3-4 months worth of the management fees collected for just the contracts. 

Rent will be collected during that time, depreciation will be taken, and where they are being built they will also appreciate in value over that time period.

Not just on the maintenance front but on the rent collection front as well. 

A few questions here:Do you setup completely different bank accounts for collecting rents and making payments?