Getting a good painter at a reasonable price requires persistence and comparison shopping.

There were several mistakes made on my tax returns that I pointed out, which required going back and forth with their tax preparers.

Newer construction code requires better earthquake-proofing, but it's still aimed at preventing a building collapse rather than holding the value of the structure.About 15 years ago there was all the talk about "100 year homes" but I haven't seen much come of that.

If you really like the place but you feel that it is priced too high for your budget, instead of saying “it’s priced too high” and insulting the seller, simply say “I absolutely love your place; it is exactly what I want, and I’d really like to buy it.

Requiring occupant to have renters insurance is another possibility for extra protection.

Because of my savings and lack of expenses, I'm in a very comfortable position to make my first move, but because my income is mid, I'm unable to meet the Debt-to-Income requirements to qualify.

I am simply an "active" passive investor.BTW, I am reading Joe Fairless' BEST EVER book and enjoying it.  

If you are passive in those rentals (not real estate professional for tax purposes which requires 750 hours of real estate), and your Modified Adjusted gross income is over $150,000, then the cost seg is not actually going to save you any taxes. 

I am sure the interest in that hard money isn't great.All DSCR loans I have seen require at least 12 months.

Some buy to park money, others do 1031 exchanges or they simply buy them for a tax write-off.