Any good HML will be happy to share the contact info of borrowers so you can see how easy the process was and how well they treated the investor.Can you share a recent closing document or HUD?

That said, you deserve a management team that treats your properties with the same level of care and attention as they would for larger clientsI’ve heard from other investors that finding a great PM company can be a game-changer.

The banks treat it as if the borrowers gift it to them.

>>For purposes of taxes, consult with a CPA to confirm this would work for your situation, but you could have the LLC be treated as a "disregarded entity" and thus, even if you and your wife are members, any profits/losses would "disregard" the LLC and go directly on your personal returns. 

This is straight from the CFPB website: "Additionally, for 60 days from the date your loan servicing transfers, your new servicer cannot charge you a late fee or treat the payment as late if you sent it to your previous servicer on time or within the applicable grace period."

The point is that most of the books and gurus out there will sell you the dream and get you hooked on buying into their programs without giving you all the nitty gritty details.You're running a business and must treat it that way. 

I always just explain nicely that it’s my company policy to deliver the required notice and collect the late fee as per the lease every time rent is late, no matter what, sorry no exceptions for anyone as I treat everyone equally and adhere to the lease agreement that we both signed.

Window AC units can indeed be treated as tangible personal property with a 5-yr life and be bonus-depreciated or deducted under Section 179. 

Regarding a 1031 exchange, while the property was rented and treated as an investment property during your deployment, if you maintained it as your primary residence for tax purposes, it may complicate eligibility.

It may be tempting to treat them as one property and do what is called "cross collateralization" in order to maximize the amount you can borrow.