My lawyer has suggested each property be held within its own separate LLC to minimize risk to me in case of lawsuit for whatever reason (i.e. trip & fall etc..)The current owner, who lives in the area (but not in these properties), is paying respectively  $1,000/year per home.

He knew the trip back would not be possible.

Yes, they do and often it's the fraudster who trips-up and exposes themselves.

If you have any meetings in Lodi, I know its kind of far but I would make the trip.

My wife has family in the area that she visits and we have been discussing buying some rental properties in the area so that we can write off part of our trips to Montevideo.

The owner could be in a hospital, or incarcerated or on a trip, caring for a sick relative in a different state or in the military on assignment or any number of things. 

They say it’s tripping the fuse, so I had an electrician take a look, and he said it’s completely fine.

My friend wants me to join her on a trip over in Shanghai for some events because she's looking into starting a business.but anyways!

Study the municipality's property website (this shows you all the sales, tax values).Next, take a trip. 

For me, travel is a burden that I really don't like even though I have had a lot of fun on trips.