They sound like they are going to be a pain, so I'd just say no.Call the security deposit a non-refundable deposit that will become their security deposit upon possessionfor entry-clarify -what the tenant requested is not unreasonable. 

Glad there are a few folks on here who are feeling the same pain! 

It's a tough market that requires some pain, heavy lifting, patience, and/or inconvenience to get a worthwhile return. 

The entire experiment was a crowning failure in it's intended result, BUT a fantastic achievement in truly proving the human psychology of how it all actually works. 

But hey, no pain, no gain, right?

The biggest pain point for both in-state and out-of-state (investing in MI from WA since 2018) investing has been the same: property management.

Lenders do this to put you in first-loss position in the capital stack as well as to make it financially painful for you to walk away if things get tough.

That money is better used on actual skip tracing + gas + offers.If your goal is your first creative finance deal by March, you don’t need complexity, you need reps and follow-up.What I’d do in your shoes:PropStreamSimple Google Sheet or Notion trackerCall 200–300 sellers per weekFollow up like crazy (most deals happen on the 7th–12th touch)Learn to recognize pain and structure the offerOnce you lock your first couple deals and your pipeline grows, then upgrade your tools.

On a side note, and it pains me to say this because I think the hosts and producers are good people who provide valuable content, the podcast has gone downhill since David and Rob were pushed out.

Underperforming deals, as painful as they are for all involved, are a very different animal from deliberate fraud.