That is often a matter of opinion and will depend on the attitude of your municipality.Most municipalities do not require neighborhood approval, but will offer the public opportunities to provide input which will be considered.

Investing this amount in passive deals might not provide immediate income, and you could end up waiting years to see returns (similar case in most investments.) 

It's a relationship game more than anything, so if you're building strong relationships with them and providing a consistent product, you'll be golden.

Here's an ideal PM contract: The two keys are: The PM is incentivized to make you money, not charge high fees, and is contractually bound to provide reporting that you can understand in a timely manner. 

If you’re passionate about windows and doors, you should naturally have plenty to share based on your expertise and the questions your customers ask.The main purpose of your blog should be to educate and provide value to potential customers.

Is her goal to be nice and provide some of the gains or reduce her taxes by trying to split income between her and her ex?

Figure out a question set that helps dive into their expertise as investor-friendly agents, ask about their experience in the investment real estate space, and have them send you a few properties that could meet your goals to show that they can provide quality properties for your to analyze (hint: this is also good to see if they overpromised on their market [ex - Raleigh for cash flow]).Also with the new lawsuit, any agent that knows what they're doing will require you to sign an agency agreement prior to viewing a home.

Contrary to most business lending, the REI industry has a lot of "non-bank" lenders that provide attractive loans that can lower your cost of capital and improve your profit/cash flow. 

We didn't provide full cable so instead we provided Hulu.

If you're considering hard money loans, they can provide fast funding, but with higher interest rates and shorter terms.