I want to start some sort of llc or other corporations so I can sign contracts.

A buddy was telling me that he heard of a method of getting financing via buying an established company and leveraging the company's equity to obtain financing.

Is this real/legit or should I tell him to beware?

Tha...

I've got a corporation service renting a house from me long term and they will only pay via their bill payment service which is by check. 

I had the same type of experience with another contractor and was thinking about going after him in court but decided not to because he had an Corporation and I was afraid he would file bankruptcy if i went after him.

We have a Corporate Rental Townhouse near Charlotte, NC and it has been doing very well since the day we listed it.My current tenant initially booked this property for 65 days (we had a 30 day min) and he now would like to extend the stay for another 90 days which is great!

Immediately I appear as the "local guy" rather than the "corporate guy".

You could consider furnishing it and offering it as a corporate rental although that market is also getting more saturated.

I can easily search company names in my state on the Florida Division of Corporations website and find out who created the entity, their address, the date they created, whether it is active or inactive, etc.

I suppose you have been reporting the rental income and expenses(including depreciation) on your tax return.If you get paid in Italian currency - it is your job to convert the amounts in USD when reporting it on your return.If you hold the property in an entity(partnership or corporation) you may have additional informational forms to file with the IRS.If you have a bank account in Italy with a value over $10,000 - you also have an additional informational forms to file with the IRS.You should have been entitled to a step-up in basis upon inheritance.

If they want to have 1099 for labor only, they should separate labor on the invoice.There is an exception for vendors who are corporations - which HomeDepot is.