With regard to renovations, I always suggest taking incremental steps to bigger renovations or partnering with someone who has already done a renovation at that level.I've been known to just go for the big rehabs for my personal investments here in Chicago , and during that process, it's always more stressful than it needs to be...As far as navigating the competition, I've found the best thing I can do is get EXTREMELY CLEAR  on what I am looking for; then I am confident pulling the trigger quicky. 

Hey folks, Due to a lot of depression and personal issues, I let my property taxes go unpaid for close to three years.

It's not worth hiring a lawyer but as you suggested, small claims court may be an option IF you hired them in your personal capacity OR if your jurisdiction allows LLC owners to go to small claims and represent the LLC in court (many, most?

Me personally I look at my rental as a business everything is paid for by rental.

Try reaching out to this person and tell them you’ll gladly go through this process when your renewal date comes up, but you should be allowed to continue operating. riley boesiger at sanantonio.gov

The 5-10 it gets heavier and a lot busier, and 10-15-20 it really is untenable to self-manage especially if this is not you main business like a person buying their own rentals and building it like a small business. 

I personally feel landlording in Indianapolis is pretty easy as far as restrictions go.  

- Of course, most of these PMCs weren't even properly licensed and were typically one-person companies.If you have an LLC, the PMC will only need the LLCs EIN.- If you chose to set up your LLC as a pass-thru entity, then you will need to supply your SSN.FYI - to avoid getting nasty letters from the IRS about errors (which might cause us to be audited), we will ask for a copy of your EIN assignment letter or a copy of your SSN card to confirm those numbers.

So...Assuming we're considering the advantages for American's to invest in Japan, I personally think it only makes sense in a select few situations. 

I say "may" because while I have read about this in several places, I have not personally verified this to be true.I usually pay contractors by check the minute the work is finished and approved.