@Laura Ozols @David Tran @Mario FurmanczykHey All- I work for a company that provides PACE (property assessed clean energy ) loans similar to HERO. 

The key factor is ensuring the property qualifies for favorable tax treatment by adhering to IRS rules regarding short-term rentals and material participation.For the 7-day rule, the IRS requires that:The average guest stay must be seven days or less for the property to qualify as a short-term rental.If the average stay is 30 days or less, you must provide substantial services similar to what hotels offer, such as daily cleaning or concierge services.Regarding material participation, to further classify the income as non-passive, you must meet one of the following criteria:You spend more than 500 hours actively managing the rental in a year.You manage the business yourself and spend at least 100 hours, with your involvement exceeding that of any other person involved in the rental.Please note there are actually 7 ways to qualify, the above two are the most common.

Most “Gurus”, authors, advisors and experienced real estate investors preach obtaining seller “carry back” financing for property buyers in order to (1) obtain financing when they don’t qualify for a 3rd party loan (2) obtain financing when the property doesn’t qualify for financing and or (3) extend the “buying power” of their capital contribution (down payment) to purchase a larger more expensive property by having the seller provide a subordinated mortgage loan.That’s all and good, but why should the seller agree to finance the purchase of his property, instead of getting CASH for his equity?

I did power of attorney in 2009 that notary required a thumb print.  

It took me years to find a great cleaning crew, for example.

Im not a college rental investor, but if it were up to me I would target an area that is safe, clean, high traffic, and a large university. 

They are friendly tenants, They call us immediately when there is a problem, and every time either of us is over there, the house is very clean and there are no odors...

Buyers have significantly more negotiating power.

Building a strong, high-performing power team is essential for any leader aiming for long-term success.

Hey Amanda, In this case, you can likely deduct the cost of cleaning the oil stains from the security deposit.