If you don't know where or how to look for signs of water intrusion; pests; safety issues such as faulty or illegal wiring; type and age of plumbing system and components, doors, windows, siding materials and roof systems and other systems or elements then you have no choice but to pay for someone else's knowledge.

Best middle ground is to use 6–9 month leases or stagger lease end dates to all expire around your planned move-out window.

Also make sure all appliances work, windows open/close/lock, and there are no exposed wires or plumbing leaks.

Columns (to X needed items) were:Address     Vacant Date     Secured     Trash Out    Plumbing     Electrical   Carpentry    Doors/Windows       Paint Prep      Paint       Floorcovering     Cabinets       Appliances    RTR Date

Some states auto-reset, some wait for the next cycle, and a few have appeal windows where you can force it.

After that window, the software doesn’t support an in-app refund, so you will need to issue a manual check or external transfer to the tenant for the remainder of the deposit.

That window is still open — but it won't be forever.And unlike multifamily or single family rentals, the barrier to entry on the analysis side has dropped dramatically.

Roof, windows, HVAC, plumbing, etc. may be near the end of its useful life and therefore you need to budget accordingly.

I later find out he's just your typical salesman who once he gets you in the door, communication goes out the window.  

Then you can flip the BRRRR to a DSCR loan if you want a shorter waiting or seasoning window between transactions and to be able to pull your money back out.