Of course when you are declining a prospective tenant from renting from you, you must follow all your local laws and not discriminate.

I purchased under my name in cash because the agreement was time sensitive given the seller’s declining health and offer deadline.

I've had all kinds of moron threats for declining apps, nobody's sued or called "the attorney general" on me yet... which seems to be a favorite empty threat in my area  

I decline with a polite - thank you for applying; however, I selected someone else.

Just the community showing some early signs of decline worries me.

Hi Chad,Will the unit and the overall curb appeal draw market rent payers, or is it discounted due to some reason.If you raise and they decline, they will move out, and you will have to pay to "Turn the Unit" and cover the mortgage while it's empty.How long are comparable/competitors units setting unrented for.How much will the turn cost.How much will it cost to make the unit from it's present state to a state that will attract market rent in the time comparables attract it.Will you be the labor 100%, because in some areas people say this type of labor is back scheduled, meaning turn delays.

That said, there was a recent article that interest in the MBA is on the decline in the WSJ.https://www.wsj.com/articles/m-b-a-applications-ke...

Unpaid utility debt is the #1 reason I decline an applicant. 

Suddently, you're stuck with a property that's not cashflowing AND not appreciating in value -- or in the worst-case scenario -- losing money every month and declining in value.So I think the best advice is to focus on properties that would cashflow from the start and not bank on appreciation, at least not with a near-term time horizon. 

I declined.