Quote from @Brandon Larson: It's important to have established policies and procedures, but I wouldn't put a lot of effort into that with only a duplex under management.

I use apartments.com, so the money didn't end up in my account until 1/6/25.Is this considered income for 2024 or 2025? 

Focus on long-term guests, like corporate clients staying 30+ days, because it’s easier and brings steady income.

My goal is to leverage that equity for additional income.

CA is brutal when it comes to taxes.I don't give tax or legal advice, but many people believe that holding the property in your name and having a good umbrella policy is a good solution.

Your primary insurance policy with $300,000 in liability coverage should be sufficient in 99.999% of all lawsuits.5.

Germany's resilience to global financial crises and its strong fiscal policies create a favorable environment for real estate investment.Moreover, interest rates in Germany remain at historically low levels, largely due to the European Central Bank's monetary policies.

The name on the insurance policy is just the name of the LLC.

This isn’t/wasn’t a loophole - just tax policy. 

I mean myself and any bank would need more details, but if you utilize that large sum as a downpayment and have a small mortgage, wouldn't you easily qualify for the debt to income?