Theres someone living in the side that I will be occupying until the 1st of February, but since I JUST became the owner, would it make sense to reach out and ask them something like "Hey its __ the new owner, just checking in to see how you're doing.

Too bad you can't buy something owner-occupied, put 5% down with the best interest rate, live in it for 12 months (and fix it up), rent it out and repeat the cycle.Here's some other info you might find useful:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

Split the $20 to buy yourself lunch and dinnerIf you are on the road, daily per-diem should cover a lot of your day to date living costs.If they send you on the road, you can potentially airbnb your house.Best of luck!

Quote from @Andrew Lawlor: I've been actively investing in short-term rental properties for the past three years, managing one live property and another that will go live in two months.

The property has to be considered 'in service' for you to list it on your tax return.In service entails a couple of items such as1) The property is in livable condition - Working bathroom, kitchen and an area to live.2) The property was advertised for rent.Best of luck

Where do you live, and where are your units? 

Since then I have located the area where they entered and sealed it off, however I'm having trouble killing the ones currently living in the attic.

I buy homes as a primary residence with 5% down and move into them keeping my previous as a rental and the area that I live doesn't have new builds that would work for us, otherwise I would buy a new build. 

But IRS allows an IRA to be invested in anything except life insurance and collectibles.

@Felicia Vinces it sounds like you missed our Year End Live show and Podcast of "Real Estate Notes Show' where 2 15 year experience note investors break down what makes a note valuable.