Honestly the high fees combined with lack of transparency and high appraisal costs, a whole month of UW (longer than normal), etc. would make me want to switch lenders right away because IME the lenders with high fees and high appraisal costs who drag their feet like this also tend to be the ones to continue delaying, have things get stuck in underwriting, say one thing while delivering another, have poor communication especially between UW and origination, bad customer service, can't close when they say they will, etc. and it can be a total nightmare. 

Hi Jonathan,My apologies for the delay. 

Leveraging the 5% down conventional loan is a brilliant way to minimize upfront costs while still gaining a foothold in appreciating markets like Gilbert, AZ.

If the trip is mostly personal, then only the expenses directly related to looking at potential investment properties would actually be deductible, which is likely rather minimal - maybe some gas or Uber costs to get there?

One way to save on the negative carry is to delay the purchase until the very end of permitting.

Who should I be talking to for the best advice on structuring these entities to minimize taxes, protect my assets, and maximize my investment strategy?

In 2018, my husband and I took the plunge into real estate investing by purchasing our first fourplex with minimal experience.

Here are some quick end-of-year tax strategies to offset rental income:Cost Segregation: Buy a short-term rental (STR), put it into service, and use cost segregation to accelerate depreciation.Prepay Expenses: Pay for repairs and insurance now to deduct this year.Defer Income: Delay rent until next year to lower this year’s taxable income.Maximize Deductions: Deduct property taxes, mortgage interest, and insurance.Charitable Donations: Donate before year-end to reduce taxable income.These won’t offset W-2 income but will help reduce rental taxes.

In his experience, for this job he says we don't need a permit and it will only cause more delays.

Hello , l am just starting to rent a property out to section 8  tenant , what are the things to do to minimize/prevent  section 8/regular  tenants  from messing up the rented property .