I can't remember one that got blown up because the taxpayer couldn't close the replacement property.  

I seem to having been misinformed about that.While the de minimis limit has indeed been increased to $2500 (see for instance https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/for-small-busines... ) I believe it to not even be relevant here as there is something even better: Safe Harbor for Small Taxpayers (SHST).

The plan also calls for more than doubling of the standard deduction for taxpayers, which would eliminate the need/benefit to itemizing deductions (such as mortgage interest payments).

The one's I end up with are usually distressed because of lack of tax payments or mortgage payments and they cant refi and need to sell.and since we don't need to borrow HML or bank money to buy  IE cash..

Or take Robert Kiyosaki's advice and figure out a way to afford that place to live while you're waiting on the government (tax payers) to cover that rent.

I came across a property that I'm interested in it's priced pretty high, been on market for 280 days...I pull up the information on the assessors website...Taxpayer : 100% "Name of listing agent" address: "address of listing agent's office" Owner: 100% "Nice old lady" address: " Last name of listing agent, and a address that is a property listing agent owns, not the office" Taxes are also behind by $7,500...no payments since mid 2015. 

Additionally, some of the securitized Non-Agency RMBS that are coming to market have much higher lending standards than they did 8 years ago, due to most of the large banks maintaining higher underwriting standards, because they don't want the bad press of a taxpayer funded backstop. 

If you are a cash basis taxpayer (which most people are), you don't deduct money not received as a loss. 

Even with cancelled PMI, my monthly mortgage/tax payment goes up to $1650, eating most of my cash flow.The rental would likely break even for the near future and preserve equity, barring a recession. 

I just searched the forum and couldn’t find a depreciation post that really answered these questions—maybe I am search incompetent—so I thought it could make a good thread.)If your total repair plus improvement for the year is less than 10k or 2% of your building basis, you can expense it this year under Small Tax Payer Safe Harbor.