JMZ Blog › Investor Guides

You find reliable tenants by pricing the home to market, marketing it widely with strong photos, and then screening every applicant against the same written criteria for income, rental history, credit and background. Consistency is the part most owners skip, and it matters for both tenant quality and Fair Housing compliance.

JMZ Blog › Investor Guides

The major expenses most likely to hit a single family rental are the big systems that wear out on their own schedule: roof, furnace, air conditioner, water heater, sewer line, electrical panel, windows and appliances, plus turnover repairs between tenants. You cannot stop them from aging, but you can find out how old they are before you buy and save for them before they fail.

Michigan changed the rules for rental screening in 2025. If you own rental property in the state, especially more than a few units, you need to understand how source of income protections affect your application process.