And they are hoping that they can tie the place up before you advertise it for rent, and/or hire a professional property manager, because they know that they will not compare favorably to other prospective tenants.

Another newbie question I thought of today on the way back from showing my first rental to the first prospective tenant.

@James Mudd , I talked to a contractor about potentially installing separate meters, but with the fees from the utility to get permits for the individual meters, hooking up separate piping through each unit instead of the master pipe, and the actual materials and labor were going to be prohibitively expensive.

With the potential ROI numbers buzzing through my head, I couldn't see any reason not to take this offer; so I did.Now that some time has gone by and I've generated practically zero prospects with my land FSBO listing, it's beginning to dawn on me that this land is probably not going to sell without some more money and work on my end.

Buyers and Sellers can withdraw from contracts, and do all the time, as long as the contract permits them to do so.

Also staying in touch with prospects that are looking but were too late for the last vacancy.

We don't want to buy the new prospect house cash out right out of our own funds but I don't want to let this deal pass us by.

This is all assuming the 5 unit issue is doable, and making sure that your local zoning/permitting will also allow it.

How could I deny a prospective male tenant without violating federal law?

Do it in an area where a homeowner is allowed to pull thier own permits and do their own work.