I think it's fair to say it's beyond normal wear and tear, but I'm not sure how much is fair to say "I'm going to have to deal with this somehow, and because of the scratches I'm deducting x." 

This isn't necessarily the caseYou can have that discussion with my agent. ;-)  Well I'm an agent so that won't be necessary.

I don't know if credit unions can ever do this stuff?

There thinking goes something like this - I can buy this great property for $5 million cash flowing $600k per year (they neglect expenses).  

This is a great place to learn and to connect with people so take advantage of all the great resources.

I want to know any and all tips, advice, and of course down sides to this lifestyle. 

We consistently produce over $70k in net income and I distribute this to support my family.Long-Distance REI: I am looking to invest in long-distance cash-flowing SFH in growing C-Class neighborhoods.

This unexpected expense turned what was promised as a cash-positive investment into a cash-negative one—the first in my investing career.To make matters worse, I lost $21,000 due to the property managers recommended by RTR.

Establishing the LLC in IL first does not provide any additional benefits in this scenario.

Buying properties back then in the Bay Area and doing nothing turned out to be an amazing wealth building strategy :) But, it more than tripled his net monthly income making this move!