Sometimes more important than the initial % is the direction up or down and why these initial percentages are not reliable indicators of future profits or taught in formal university settings, nor found in any textbooks etc.

She sees it inside and out, says she likes it...and as she hands my PM the deposit money and also the first month's rent she requests a couple of very very very minor things.My PM says he will take care of it within 48 hours....nothing major, and gives her the keys, and drops her back off at her hotel. 

Having some cash aside is nice, but being ready on the investment opportunity is key. 

Rental Housing Association (RHA) also regularly provides classes and resources for managing all this.Make sure whatever lease / rental agreement is written clearly indicates that it will terminate a month or two before your neighbor wants to come back.    

As a result it's often a rather time consuming process for me to type up a response to someone's forum post...and as you said we're all busy and I sadly just don't make my time on BP as much of a priority as maybe I should.Thing brings me to my third point...the majority of the threads where I do comment, are around the key words that I follow.

Check the meter, it should have a low flow indicator on it.

I told the property manager to offer 350 for cash for keys if he was out by Friday, as a manager he had never heard of something like this and after a little resistance and me explaining the number difference he agreed. 

The key here is finding an agent that works with investors.

We now have a lock box with a key inside attached to the gas meter, just in case the batteries fail.

From what I’m learning, a dependable contractor is key.