I am newer to this but have done years of research, read books, and read numerous posts on this forum.

Congrats on taking the leap!

What can I do to protect myself, as I want to avoid inheriting a tenant who may not pay rent on time or may need to be evicted after closing?

Your in the right place to get the knowledge needed and experience from others as they story tell on the forum page.

well when you compare to what 90% of investors at least on this site do is buy rental houses or apartments..

If they say no, we ask why, and occasionally, we can sway them if there had been a misunderstanding—for example, a lingering maintenance issue that hasn’t been addressed and they didn’t bother to call about.We don’t have time for a deep dive on lease renewals, but it’s definitely worth picking up a copy of Jeffrey Taylor’s The Landlord’s Survival Guide, which has all sorts of tips on getting tenants to renew.

For example, garage disposals, tenants don't think about what goes down there and how it breaks or mess with your sewer lines.  

You can do it on a manufactured home DSCR loan.

Nice house, but it sits on a corner lot and lacks an ideal backyard.

There are a handful of commercial lenders that will lend on this but the rate will be sky high.