A savings account would work just as well, without the tax benefit.

He was a good guy” and his information  on buying at tax or foreclosure sales was realistic and doable. 

It occurred to me today that I've never asked about umbrella insurance claims.I’m particularly interested in real-world examples where this type of policy came through during:Property damage (fires, storms, floods, etc.)Liability claims involving tenants or third partiesMajor unforeseen eventsIf you’ve ever had to file a claim and your umbrella policy saved your bacon, I’d love to hear:What happened?

Line Item Fee Collected Rents 10% of All Collected Rents New Tenant Search & Onboarding $500 Business Hour Service Calls $80/hour + Materials Cost + Tax After Hour Service Calls $110/hour + Materials Cost + Tax HVAC Cleaning & InspectionGutter CleaningSpring/Fall Exterior CleanupSeasonal Mowing & Weed TrimmingSeasonal Snow PlowingGeneral Contractor Vendor Cost + 10% Oversight Fee

This will save you time and effort, as you won’t have to travel long distances to manage different properties or handle tenant issues.For your first investment, I suggest starting with 2-4 unit properties.

so I used 1.5% as a property tax number, and I used $200 mo for insurance.

Finally, short-term rentals can offer potential tax advantages, as many expenses associated with the property may be deductible.

They are mocking these up with interest only loans and factoring back in the tax deduction as if you qualified for the tax benefits of a real estate professional and factoring in the diminished first year property tax (since its not a full year).

Repairs made while the property is your primary residence are not deductible, but improvements can increase your cost basis, reducing future capital gains tax when you sell.

So, in your considerations, I would park right there for a bit and determine how this would look for you.Since you have about 2.5 years to think about it before you would need to spring into action to take advantage of the rollover for tax advantages, maybe you try on a rental and see how it fits.