Hi Mike,  Lets connect.Im a local Real Estate Broker and a small time investor.  

You are operating a business and as such to avoid ending up in court you must know the law.

Statistically an eviction process takes one to two months in Georgia but there are ways a tenant can stall and a malicious tenant may cause more damage.

There's no real 'fair' way to truly separately meter the natural gas used for the different units, unless you get into rabbit hole land of re-inventing a wheel and a series of sensors measuring heat and air flow within separate ducts, on your (customer) side.I'll comment on each option individually and your decision will be numbers driven. 

I did some more digging and contacted several billboard companies who told me that the zoning was right and a billboard could be built there.

She is an out of town investor, and as a member of the community, her neglect of the property is unacceptable. 

Do not develop a defeatist attitude toward your business.Go to your local court office and a clerk will walk you through the process.

@Brian Comiskey I tried to list the ones I like and a few others that I have heard good things about but the post was against the rules and taken down. 

Before this makes sense, you must understand there is a difference in cost to you between your own home and a rental property. 

All that said, this is a fairly hot market and a booming economy with plenty of homes in need of rehabs and renters.It's up to you, you could go 25 years with no storm, or get one a week after your first purchase.