If your after long term investments then there are other more secure ways of making a 7 to 10%+ on your money for example like buying A paper notes ( mortgage Notes) than a saving account or stock market.

How much do you ask for when asking for a security deposit?

 You need to:  A) Know thyself  B) Develop an understanding of what REIT's are and factors that effect their pricing  C) Develop an understanding of where you're going to invest if you buy physical propertyFor this comment Ill be talking about publicly traded REIT's as they're available to everyone through a brokerage account.

By paying it off you increase your security. 

I have seen many posts suggesting finding an “investor savvy realtor” and stating that there is a difference between realtors who service the general public and those who service investors.

I could move into a property that looks like a good deal (either in SF or the Easy Bay) and secure an FHA for 3.5% down by virtue of living in the property as my primary, rent out additional rooms, and essentially function as the property manager.

It is best to just look the info you want to know the answers to up on a public info site though.

The one that is leaving wants his security deposit back.

Think of all the things that could go wrong and see if the lease addresses them: unauthorized pets or tenants, early termination, security deposit, lease violations, late rent, eviction, lawn maintenance, parking, etc.5.

If a tenant gets a protection order, I'd change out the locks and probably install a security camera.