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Vern,
I have a slightly different perspective. My company did, among other things, mold remediation. I got a great look at the battles that can occur between landlords and tenants. It's perhaps a step nastier than divorce court.
Since everyone freaks out about mold, tenants sometimes use the "m" word to try to get out of their leases, get a rent abatement, or just be a pain in the ass. We'd get called in to do an inspection, and land right in the middle of a hot LZ, with crossfire between the landlord and the tenant. My inspectors would call things as they saw them, which meant that one or the other would be pissed at us. Or the landlord would tell us to go in and do an inspection, but not talk to the tenant. Sure--that's easy when you have a pregnant mom thinking her kid is gonna be born with six toes because she found mold in the corner of her closet. Or we'd have the tenant recording everything we said, following us around taking pictures, planning their lawsuit. Washington is a tenant-friendly state, as I'm sure CA is. A bad tenant can tie things in knots forever.
Anyway--I heartily second the advice of those here who have said to get a professional property manager. They are worth their weight in gold. Get a thorough mold inspection for visible mold growth, before you close, by a certified pro--not Chuck in the Truck. And, if visible mold is found, get it remediated properly. Too many landlords try to cheap their way out by painting over with Killz or some such non-product, which never works. If a tenant gets sick, and there's a trace of visible mold, they might end up owning you.
Finally--make sure you keep the place up. I think everyone intends to do this, but I've been to too any rentals that were hell holes. And I don't mean 914s.
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