It sounds like you're doing great research ahead of your first flip.

Hey Steven, Great question, and it’s smart that you’re thinking ahead about protecting your investment.

That said there are some nuances and requirements to property implement interest tracing so ensure you talk to your tax professional ahead of time and keep the funds movement as clean as possible. 

As someone who’s both a real estate investor and a property manager in RI, I know how important it is to stay ahead of the curve.

My husband's family is from there and we go visit them often from our home in the suburbs of Minneapolis. 

A typical five-piece surround is held together with glue and caulk, and without maintenance, it will fall apart and just cause you more problems.Instead, go ahead with a two-piece surround or even a tile surround.

This contractor has 0 reviews on yelp which I found a bit sketchy, but was able to vet him by his contractor's license, worker's comp, and by visiting some of his ongoing projects.

Just a heads up, your rate will spike going from 75% to 80% and you'll need at LEAST a 1:1 ratio.

It’s great to hear you stuck to your plan and still came out ahead, even with a few bumps along the way.

One bit of advice where you can be ahead of the curve is to write down your screening criteria for possible tenants and commit to following it.