Across the board, the worse the neighborhood, the better the cash flow, the better the neighborhood, the trade off for tenants base, better schools, low crime, etc etc.

Always have backup subs as well, and in my case I have spent time learning all the trades so in a bind I can fill in and get it done myself if I have to.

Can you do contracting work on properties and learn valuable skills that will help you remodel properties, flip them, or otherwise learn as much as possible about the construction trade? 

Day traders are not exempt unless they elect mark-to-market (MTM) accounting, which eliminates wash sale tracking but taxes gains as ordinary income.To manage taxes, track trades closely, avoid overlapping purchases, or consider MTM election if trading actively.

Flipping is more than likely to be considered trade or business.2) Rentals: Rentals are not considered trade or business for this purpose, so initial inventory costs cannot be deducted as travel expenses.

Best tips are take it slow and make sure you have significant reserves when you leave your w2 also don't buy a company car if you already have a car just to say it's for work.

To answer your last question, my realtor has contractor contacts I should be able to leverage for rehab budget estimates, as well as family friends with experience in the construction trades.

Also, SAAS platforms are supposed to include support and service (that's the last S), but the quality varies greatly from company to company. 

Again even if you have great credit as you start to add more credit cards, mortgages, auto loans to your credit you can also be viewed as "High risk" due to Excessive trade lines in credit or higher DTI - debt to income ratios. 

The operator may trade off the longer term benefits to keep a high quality tenant in place.