If so, you may choose to simply add it to the lease as being damaged at move-in so the tenant doesn't get charged for it when they leave.

You can - 1) establish a trust for asset protection, 2) utilize the Homestead Exemption for property protection, 3) consider tenancy by the entirety for marital property (this might just be applicable to California, my home state)4) make sure you have adequate liability insurance for additional protection, 5) think about forming a business entity to shield assets, 6) and have proper estate planning for asset distribution.Seek tax and legal advice from experts in your state.

I have about 8K to start investing, which I know is not a lot, but with 3 kids living in SoCal, we are already pinching pennies.

I have a good agent I've worked with for years and letting him represent me not only gives me the advantage of additional counsel, it also gives me someone else to do the heavy lifting so I can concentrate on the deals themselves rather than the intricacies of the actual contract, the process of moving everything through closing and all the hiccups that often come with investment properties.

Along those same lines, I recommend shifting your mindset from generating additional income to investment diversification.

In addition, i am thinking/open too- OPM, seller financing, syndication etc too.

Additionally I want to keep reserves for small cosmetic Renovations as needed.

Thanks for the additional resources for me to follow up with!

I have landlord insurance but wanted to get an umbrella policy for additional protection. 

One issue I've uncovered in this is that they also add a $75 "admin fee" in addition to the percentage based "supervisory fee."