Thank you Bill, for your advice and your support to our military!

Vet the guarantor the same as you would the tenant and either ask them to co-sign the lease or execute (which would technically make them a tenant, unless you lease has built-in support for a guarantor) a separate guarantee of the tenant's obligations. ... or move on to the next applicant.

@Bernard Carpenter My wife used to work at the Weather Channel which is right there.

I really doubt they are going to follow the latter path as they would not be capable of supporting their position, but, then again, I wouldn't waste the time and money to take them to court if they did.

@Daniel Warren @Marc Roberson @Ed WoodThanks a lot guys I appreciate the support.

@Paul Timmins Thanks for the warm welcome, I'm glad to hear there is a supporting firefighter/REI group out there!

But in all fairness, I am a supporter of all SEC teams. :-)

@Jon KlausWe researched the markets and consulted several studies produced by large broker firms.Job growth and local government support for job growth are 2 big criteria.Paul

If you were making this big of a change, you might also consider installing a ductless heat pump in each unit (with electric baseboard as auxiliary heat) if the layout of the units support such an approach.

Nice to have so much support!