Then, having covered my base, I'd try to differentiate myself, by having the best located property, the best quality property (given the price of course) and offer the best experience.

but I suspect homesites will drive the best values.. no one wants logged over sites for building ( generally speaking)  it works here in the Northwest because of the incredible shortage of buildable land. but in other areas not so much

With the idea of "we can turn money today into more money tomorrow by investing it," I place most of this within a taxable brokerage account where it grows based on the market broadly speaking.

I wonder if rent control laws will be easing anytime soon in this city - other than capping rent prices, I don't think they do anything to help improve the quality of rentals.

You should speak to your cpa but if multiple people are paying it then I believe it can be separated as long as it does not exceed the amounts paid and it must be legit

I have mine really nicely furnished with good quality furniture and high end finishes (quartz, stainless steel appliances). 

. - First, I recommend speaking with a lender to find out if you can purchase the property in the name of an LLC.

It still can attract quality tenants while cash flowing monthly.

The quality of those constructions in Mexico is generally top notch.

I moved from the SF Bay Area to live and invest in Reno, NV because of it being much more landlord friendly, low property taxes, close to Northern CA and Lake Tahoe, strong appreciation, and I understood the market after speaking to a bunch of people and feeling confident about the future here.