People are going to start thinking about spending their tax refunds in the middle of January.

Note: Florida charges a hefty tax on rentals under 6 months. 

Finally, check with the Town to make sure there are no municipal liens, Make sure they're on Town sewer, check with the tax assessor to see how many bedrooms the tax office thinks there are, (important if you are flipping) buy ok to have more bedrooms if you are planning to buy and hold.  

Best approach is to have your "team" set, before going out to secure properties. 

If she gifts the home to you, you inherit he cost basis and owe all the taxes.

 - prop 13 basically fixes the property tax.  

@Helena Goyvaerts it will be tough without 2+ years of USA tax returns showing you are profitable.Higher interest rates have negatively affected most lenders and many of them are getting more aggressive with offering more flexible programs. 

I did the right thing by asking for the security deposit and first month of rent before handing the keys.For the next two months, she has been a nightmare.

I have a tax firm that specializes in working with real estate professionals/investors.

Consider all the things that could go wrong and see if the lease addresses them: unauthorized pets or tenants, early termination, security deposit, lease violations, late rent, eviction, lawn maintenance, parking, etc.5.